"Wow" Moments
“I think if you look at any facet of nature in enough detail, you find it fascinating. How could you not? The universe is so full of marvels. Here's an example -- rain, the shape of rain. I was minding my own business, working on my book, looking out the window, and it was raining and I was noticing that the raindrops were falling in that classic round-looking way, and I thought, 'I wonder if raindrops really are round?' So I started researching it a little, and I discovered that raindrops change shape 300 times a second." –Diane Ackerman
As I was driving into work this morning, I crested a hill and caught a magnificent view of the sunrise. "Wow, that's beautiful!" I marveled to myself. It was a wonderful mix of purples, reds, yellows and blues. The glory of the sunrise led me to thinking about how many wonderful things were probably going on around me most of the time that I didn't usually notice. Too often I find myself being caught up in what I need to do and when I need to do it to notice regular, wonderful "Wow!" moments like that sunrise. Success tip number one this month: Embrace "Wow!" moments.
While I was thinking about the sunrise, it also occurred to me that I had often paid a lot of money over the years to fly down to Key West and, among other things, sit and watch the sun set at Mallory Dock. Being the last easily reachable island on the string of the Florida Keys, the dock often has a terrific view of the sun as it dissolves into the horizon in the evening. Yet, here I was, seeing something very similar and enjoying a "Wow!" sunrise to rival that Key West sunset right in my own back yard! All I had to do was take a moment to notice it. Success tip number two this month: Be aware of what's going on around you.
Curiously, this is a key principle of creativity. Most creative people take time to look closely at things. Sometimes they just sit and gaze appreciatively as I had with the sunrise. At other times creative people look with an eye towards using both what is seen and is not seen. Observing something simple - like a lamp for example - can lead you to think about ways the lamp could be if it were not the way it is currently. Perhaps the lamp could be made better? Maybe it would look nice in a different color or shape. Or the light could be placed somewhere to make it more functional or interesting. Suddenly a humble lamp assumes a "Wow!" aspect. Success tip number three this month: Enhance your creativity by observing what is and what isn't.
Thinking further on the sunrise, it occurred to me that I rarely noticed "Wow!" moments on the way into work. This reminded me of a similar observation I had made when I owned a Delorean. The Delorean tends to be "Wow!" enough to shake people out of their day-to-day routine and grab their attention. Driving it home from work at night or driving on the weekends often created a flurry of honks and waves. But I can count on one hand the number of times anyone noticed it when I was driving it into work. Why? Are we so exclusively focused on the all the worries and responsibilities we have to face in the morning that we can't appreciate "Wow!" moments? Success tip number four: Be ready early for "Wow!" moments. They will help brighten the rest of you day.
Of course, as wonderful as a complex thing like a Delorean appears to be, it is often the simple things that have a strong "Wow!" impact. Patrick, a friend, once said something that I think makes this point quite well. "When I was stationed in Korea, some of the girls would rub orange peal on their wrists...simple, but it smelled nice." Such a simple thing, yet I'll bet that sentence created a flurry of images in your mind. Yet, if Patrick hadn't noticed it and I hadn't learned about it and communicated it to you, a great "Wow!" example would have been forever lost. Success tip number five: Notice the simple things; they are often the most profound.
A key element of a "Wow!" moment seems to come from being in the right place at the right time. Had I left a little later or earlier or had I taken a different route into work, I probably wouldn't have seen the sunrise at all. It happened that this particular morning, all the elements lined up correctly and I saw something that was special. Success tip number six: Allow for serendipity. The more open you are to chance "Wow!" events like that sunrise, the more likely they are to occur in your life.
Have a great month!
