Paying attention is an active, multi-dimensional process that requires us to pay attention to our inner experience and outer reality, simultaneously. It is an opening of the senses, an awareness of what we are perceiving, a moment of recognition that our choices, our context, and our attitude about these conditions affect our ability to focus our attention. Paying attention also requires an engaged presence, an ability to identify and question limiting assumptions, and the capacity to reflect upon our awareness and make sense of our experience. It is a powerful process of learning and understanding: both of our thoughts and the behavior of others. Learning to pay attention therefore provides a gateway to a deeper understanding of the world, ourselves and our relationships with others.

See also: complexity, systems thinking, relational process, perception, critical thinking