Living In Awe

It’s just too easy these days to be blasé and cynical. After all, a short dose of the news is usually enough to plunge anyone into gloom, and cynicism provides some distance. It’s even become “cool” to feel… a bit cool.

But since you have a choice about how you experience the world, why stay stuck in a humdrum existence when there’s magic afoot? It’s not difficult at all to add some brightness and spice to your day with a heaping helping of awe. You just have to train yourself to be alert for opportunities – and then to pause and savor the moments as they occur.

Awe defined
And what’s not to like about feeling in awe? Sure, it might feel safer to use cynicism as a defense against disappointment, but it’s pretty wimpy. Awe is about goose bumps. Awe is “wow!” – or breathlessness and a big smile. Awe can make your eyes pop and your heart speed up. Awe is love.

Most importantly, the regular experience of awe activates the power of the Law of Attraction, because positive feelings, however they’re triggered, kick in the afterburners of your ability to magnetize and manifest your dreams. This Law proclaims that if you think mostly gloomy thoughts, you attract mostly gloomy experiences. But if you think “Wow!” that’s what you get more of. Not a tough decision, right?

Find the awe!
Nature, of course, provides limitless daily opportunities to feel awe – a sunrise, a sunset, thunderstorms, a wintry beach, a tiger that’s still magnificent and ferocious, even in its zoo enclosure. Seasonal changes – the fire of autumn foliage, or the magic of the setting sun hitting an ordinary street at just the right angle to render it golden.

Or perhaps it’s human endeavor that can arouse those feelings of wonder in you… witnessing a moment of true compassion, the perfect layup on the basketball court, the treasures of an art museum, a ballerina’s soaring grand jete, or music that pierces your soul. Science opens our world to new sources of awe, with the mind-bending quirks of quantum physics or the astronomer’s ability to look ever deeper into the vastness of space, revealing the mysteries of black holes and dark matter – and the beauty of galaxies and supernovas.

Try looking at a daisy, or a blade of grass – with the eyes of a child. Or think about how a rose opens from the inside out. Or discover your awe in the day as a result of that wonderful combination of nature and human endeavor – a truly stupendous sexual experience.

Power up awe muscles
You might start your day out right, by setting your cell phone wallpaper or browser home page to NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day, or the Treasures of the Louvre. Change your desktop or laptop screen savers to pictures of the ocean or magical glades – or those challenging pinnacles you want to climb some day.

For some, keeping a daily journal or a running list of awe-inspiring or magical moments will awaken your openness to experience, and allow you to enjoy those moments again and again. Or you can build weekend adventures with friends, trading turns for hunting up an “Awesome Moment” or event of the week.

Whether you approach awe with a sense of fun or complete seriousness, by dedicating yourself to discovering and experiencing it for at least a few moments every day you will open your heart, your present, and your future to true magic in the form of joy – the miracles large and small, and the personal fulfillment that is happening right now!