The most precious gift: attention
- Mandy Lacy
- Nov 12
- 2 min read
“The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”— Thich Nhat Hanh
This beautiful quote from Thich Nhat Hanh was the inspiration for one of my recent paintings exhibited and sold at the 2025 Waikino Art Exhibition. The words remind me of many things especially relationships with family and friends, where time and genuine presence are often scarce in our busy lives.
It also reminds me of the importance of attention in my relationship with myself and my clients. I often acknowledge the courage it takes for someone to invest in counselling, to give themselves time, attention, and curiosity. The curiosity to speak out loud about what once served them well but no longer does. The willingness to pause at life’s crossroads, explore possibilities, and discover new ways forward with renewed energy and faith in themselves.
That faith and trust, inspired by mindful self-attention, allows both clients and their relationships to flourish and to bloom like flowers.
Exploring and expressing our creative selves is, I believe, one of the highest forms of attention to self. Creativity becomes a beautiful synergy between mindfulness and the unconscious, offering a way to harness the proven benefits of creative expression to enhance mental health, resilience, and personal growth.
Through the lens of Transactional Analysis (TA), I see how workshop participants and clients can explore and transform the inner dialogues, patterns, and beliefs that often block creativity; such as self-doubt, fear of judgment, or feelings of inadequacy. TA provides a practical and compassionate framework for understanding these internal dynamics, helping individuals to recognise resistance, rewrite limiting scripts, and develop a more nurturing inner stance.
By igniting our creative selves, we strengthen neural connections, boost psychological resilience, and activate the brain’s natural reward pathways, thereby enhancing well-being and reducing stress. As people reconnect with their capacity for play, curiosity, and authentic expression, they rediscover that creativity is not a special talent or activity for a few, but an innate and vital part of being human.
Creativity invites us to explore our barriers, injunctions, scripts, and drivers, and to re-engage our creative physis through the power of permissions and time.
And that, truly, is worth giving ourselves the gift of attention.
Interested in learning morning about TA, Steps for igniting your creativity or counselling? Use this links to find out more:
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