A gentle mindfulness practice for noticing what brings you alive
Noticing can bring a quiet kind of clarity: what softens your breath, what brightens your eyes, what makes time feel different.
This practice opens with a quote from Howard Thurman:
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go out and do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
In a world that pulls us toward productivity, urgency, and comparison, Sean Fargo invites you to follow the subtle lights within you.
This article walks you through a simple, grounded mindfulness practice that helps you recognize what lights you up and think about how to bring more of it into your daily life.
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Episode Overview:
What You’ll Experience:
- A few slow breaths and a softening of tension
- A reframing of purpose through Howard Thurman’s question
- Reflective questions to uncover moments of aliveness
- Guidance on recognizing patterns in the times you feel most vivid
- The question “What can I do with that?”
- A poem about quiet usefulness
- A closing invitation to remember what you can do
Key Takeaway:
Sean returns throughout to one question: what makes you come alive, and what can you do with that?
Show Notes:
Why “Aliveness” Matters More Than Purpose
Sean contrasts two approaches. We are often told to find our bliss and follow it, which he says “can be like chasing sunshine.” He suggests noticing instead the circumstances that light us up from the inside and make us shine.
He adds that the world doesn’t need us to do specific things. The world needs people who come alive.
A Short Guided Practice to Begin
Start here. Nothing complicated.
1. Settle with the Breath
Sean invites you to close your eyes, take a couple of slow, deep breaths, and soften any tension around the shoulders or belly.
2. Hear the Invitation
He then repeats the Thurman quote and asks you to let the words sit with you for a moment, noticing any feelings, sensations, thoughts, or images that arise.
Reflective Questions to Discover What Lights You Up
Sean asks, in his words:
- What do you notice?
- What makes you come alive?
- What can you do with that?
- What are the times when you feel most vivid, energized, and engaged?
- What patterns emerge when you look at the times or circumstances in which your unique gifts shine through?
Let answers come naturally. They may be subtle.
Spotting Patterns of Aliveness
Sean describes our passionate responses to life as “a string of shining lights guiding us home to ourselves and to deeper meaning.” These lights, he says, are “the talents, perspectives, and gifts that long to be expressed through us for the world.”
He asks what the pattern is in the circumstances that light us up from the inside and make us shine.
Moving Beyond “Feel Good” to Real-Life Choices
The question Sean repeats most is a practical one: “What can I do with that?” Once you notice the times and circumstances in which you feel alive, you can ask what you could do with them.
A Poem on Quiet Usefulness
Sean reads a poem in which ordinary things, such as a river, a cat sleeping on a fence, and a boot, are described as “famous” to the creatures and things that know them. The speaker wants to be famous in the way a pulley or a buttonhole is, for doing what it can do and not for anything spectacular.
Turning Insight Into Action
The practice closes by returning to Thurman’s line. Sean asks, “So what can you do? Can you remember what you can do?” and repeats the question of what makes you come alive.
If it helps, you can carry the question through your day. This is a suggestion beyond the recording:
Morning (1 minute):
Ask: What would feel nourishing today?
Midday (pause):
Notice: What is giving me energy right now? What is taking it away?
Evening (reflection):
Recall: When did I feel most alive today?
Write it down if you can.
Final Reflection
You don’t need to have everything figured out. Sean’s closing question is the one to take with you: what makes you come alive, and what can you do with that?
Additional Resources:
- Free Training with Sean Fargo: How to Teach Mindfulness With Confidence & Credibility
- Certification: Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification
- Blog: The Rising Demand for Mindfulness Teachers (2026–2030 Industry Forecast)
- Blog: Mindfulness Teacher Salary Guide (How Much Can You Earn in 2026?)
