Category Archives: Wonder

The cult of productivity has its place

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“The cult of productivity has its place, but worshiping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that makes life worth living.”

—Maria Popova, American-based writer of cultural criticism

Image from Amazon

Even the title of Clay Christensen’s book, How Will You Measure Your Life? is a profound question worth pondering. Events in recent years have had many of us consider issues through a more holistic lens, to determine what is truly important and what constitutes a meaningful life.

Where have you rearranged your priorities? What activities moved up, moved down, or were eliminated from your list? What has happened to your need to be productive at all times in order to keep up with or beat the person next to you?

EXERCISE:

What changes have and can you make in your life to score more points on your joy and wonder scoreboards?

“As our eyes grow accustomed to sight, they armor themselves against wonder.”

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“As our eyes grow accustomed to sight, they armor themselves against wonder.”

—Leonard Cohen, late Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, poet, and novelist

This is Ella!

My granddaughter Ella is now about four months old. We adore her sparkling personality and gorgeous eyes, and love watching her gaze at the world around her with delight and wonder.

She especially loves looking at people’s faces, ceiling fans, and various digital devices. The other day we caught her watching the Olympic games as if she was a figure skating judge.

As grown-ups, time and entrenched habits often dull the specialness of things around us. Our brains fill in the attention gaps to be efficient and save the energy of looking at things more closely. Perhaps this is why many people enjoy traveling to new places.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you refocus on your world a bit more, like Ella? How would a fresh view on the seemingly ordinary aspects of life offer you many more wonders to discover?