Bask in the wonderment of being a conscious part of the universe

Bask in the wonderment of being a conscious part of the universe.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Joshua Earle

Over the last 30 years, I’ve met thousands of other coaches who share a mutual commitment of supporting others to lead extraordinary lives.

One, named Jay Perry, has been a pioneer in the field and has influenced and inspired countless other coaches to pursue this meaningful and rewarding profession.

Jay came up with a concept he called a “wondershop” as an alternative to the more traditional workshops many of us have attended over the years.

Exploring new horizons and depths of living turned on many bright lights of insights for those who were lucky to participant.

EXERCISE:

Create your own outline for a wondershop you would like to attend.

Share this concept with people you admire and respect for their ideas to compliment your own.

Set aside some time with these folks to do some wandering and wondering around the universe.

“You don’t have to lose something to be searching.”

“You don’t have to lose something to be searching.”

Stephen St. Amant, Author of the Savenwood Blog

Image from Unsplash by Marten Newhall

Keys, glasses, cell phone, or important documents are things we commonly misplace.

When you lose something of importance, what is it like to go searching?

Even if we are super organized, with nothing out of place, some things can still feel as if they are missing.

In such cases, the searching may require us to examine new dimensions of living, to discover puzzle pieces we never knew were there.

EXERCISE:

Where are you searching for things to complete the puzzling aspects of your life?

What pieces might you find with an attitude of openness, curiosity, and wonderment, when nothing is actually lost?

The cult of productivity has its place

“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.”

“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?