How would you describe Wonder?
A simple question that makes wonder available to you - right now!
It’s funny, when I first set out to write this, I did so by writing the title first. This is not my typical approach. I like to put some words at the top of the page, an indicator of what’s on my mind for a post, and by the time I am done writing, I go back and change the title to match what I actually wrote! In other words, it always turns out a bit different from what I originally thought it was going to be.
But as I write this, I know the title will stay as it is. The reason for this became clear right after I wrote it.
There are two parts to the creation of this title that formed what I knew I would be writing about from the start, which is what I felt before I wrote it, and what I felt afterwards.
Interesting to me, after I initially wrote the title it provoked a strange feeling of “what is wonder actually?”. I was trying to understand how I would perceive the question I was asking, “How would you describe Wonder?”. When I began to think about this, I felt like the questions was actually strange. I literally asked myself, “Why would anyone spend time pondering wonder?”.
But before I wrote it, I had a really strong sense of wonder. It was so strong it literally welled up inside of me as I sat at our dining room table, enmeshed in the sensation of what can best be described as wonder, and even awe. In fact, I think it was inspired by my surroundings, which may be the cause of this sense of wonder to begin with.
Where I’m sitting as I write this is an open floor plan, and the rooms around me are softly lit. It’s evening, so I am quite comfortable having just finished a relaxing walk with Beth and Malcolm.
As I was sitting in front of my laptop, just before writing the title, I let my imagination wonder on what I might be moved to write about, I started to feel my way into that sense of wonder that we all know so well (think of wonder from a time when you were just a child). From there it kind of took over with this amazing feeling of awe and beauty, but not like a rock band or wild horses storming the castle. No, this was soft and subtle, warm and inviting. A feeling that captured my attention, bringing it into focus to that point where everything goes quiet, and yet, there is a clarity of presence, an attentive sensation where you feel blissfully aware and time seems to stands still.
I wanted to express this incredible feeling that wonder so easily conjures up into one’s experience. The best way I can describe it is through my own personal love of nature. For me, it was like gazing out into the late evening of a deep blue sky, surrounded by trees and hills, as the sound of crickets and frogs softly roll out into the calm air of a quiet summer night’s eve.
This is what struck me as so unusual as I pondered my title after I wrote it. As I let my imagination creatively explore what I might write about, I was inspired, even swept away by wonder itself! Then, when I wrote a title to bring others into this space, I began to think about the question, and wonder was lost!!!
Wonder is exactly as Pooh describes love! It is such a great guide for expanding your perspective, because you can’t do it while being overly immersed in what things mean. In fact, you could say that your best way to go about leveraging wonder is to let go and steep yourself in the essence of it. This is also a great way to discover new potential for anything you are inspired to do with your life. By allowing yourself to explore the space where you are naturally inspired, you are innately guided by your own feeling imagination, which will carry you into new and wonderful opportunities!
So give it a try, but drop the question first. You can’t really describe wonder if you try and answer the question, but once you reach into that deep sense of peace, the sudden experience of surprise and/or astonishment, and even amazement - you won’t need to describe it. Instead, hopefully, you’ll want to express it!
ACTIVITY
This activity section I will leave to someone who has inspired many into action, with guidance that was easy to understand, and quite effective.
“Give yourself a gift of five minutes of contemplation in awe of everything you see around you. Go outside and turn your attention to the many miracles around you. This five-minute-a-day regimen of appreciation and gratitude will help you to focus your life in awe.”
Life Quote
“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”
BOOK SUGGESTION
I really loved selecting this book for this post, especially since the book description on amazon was so spot on for what wonder has to offer us in life! Without further ado, I leave you with the following book (click the graphic to order it on Amazon)…
Book Description
Discover how the lost art of wonder can help you cultivate greater creativity, resilience, meaning, and joy as you bring your greatest contributions to life.
Beyond grit, focus, and 10,000 hours lies a surprising advantage that all creatives have―wonder. Far from child’s play, wonder is the one radical quality that has led exemplary people from all walks of life to move toward the fruition of their deepest dreams and wildest endeavors―and it can do so for you, too.
“Wonder is a quiet disruptor of unseen biases,” writes Jeffrey Davis. “It dissolves our habitual ways of seeing and thinking so that we may glimpse anew the beauty of what is real, true, and possible.” Rich with wisdom, inspiring stories, and practical tools, Tracking Wonder invites us to explore how the lost art of wonder can inspire a life of greater joy, possibility, and purpose. You’ll discover:
The six facets of wonder―key qualities to help you cultivate the art of wonder in your work, relationships, and life
How wonder can help us fertilize creativity, sustain the motivation to pursue big ideas, navigate uncertainty and crises, deepen our relationships, and more
The biases against wonder―moving beyond societal and internalized resistance to our inherent gifts
Why experiencing wonder isn’t really about achieving goals―though that happens―but about how we live each day
Inspiring stories of people whose experiences of wonder helped them move through the unthinkable to create extraordinary lives
Practical exercises, tools, and reflections to help you begin your own practice of tracking wonder
A refreshing counter-voice to the exhausting narrative hyper-productivity, Tracking Wonder is a welcome guide for experiencing more meaning and joy in the present moment as you bring your greatest contributions to life.