Amazement: The Journey Of Wonderment

It is not about just being good at it, it’s about totally freaking amazing at it. And amazement happens when we love what we do. Einstein said-‘Excellence is a habit.’ Einstein was bang on. But excellence is a by-product, the main trick is to enjoy what we do repeatedly.

Let’s have a kick ass day today.
Let’s be totally awesome today.
Let’s enjoy our share of responsibilities today.
Let’s create something amazing today.
Let’s ‘wow’ our customers today and repeat.
Let’s create the ‘buzz’ in our particular skill set.
Let the amazement set in.

The cool thing about getting older, is that you have so much to look back on. If you take the time to reflect on your life journey to where you are now, you will be amazed at how many times “fate” caused you to make great decisions that lead you to where you are now.

Amazement awaits us at every corner. If we allow ourselves to stay amazed and astounded at the vibrant instants of every day and do not feel ashamed of admitting to being speechless or dumbfounded sometimes, we can uncover unsuspected sparkling gems hidden in the nooks crannies of our mind. Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement, get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed. It’s amazing what ordinary people can do if they set out without preconceived notions. The highest goal that man can achieve is amazement.

We don’t know what love actually is, either, but it is all around us. It’s amazing that people love regardless, amazing that people forgive each other, that those once at war with each other can eventually live in peace. Consider people you know, how they keep going when they’re tired, breathe through pain, get up yet again to walk a crying baby, settle down in the middle of an argument and admit fault and move on. And just as others are amazing to you, you are also amazing to them. If we were brave enough to be more often filled with wonder and surprise, we would treat ourselves and others and our fragile world more gently.

Business is dominated by plans and analysis. But people are not moved by logic alone. Behind every apparently sensible scientist is a child who was irrationally drawn to fire. The reason, when animated by the fire of emotion, has the power to motivate and move individuals more than facts alone ever could. An inspired group is likely to achieve much more than one merely doing its job.

The word amazement in the 16th century meant bewilderment and only later acquired its positive connotation of inspiration and energization. This ambivalence of meaning is quite natural when we consider the process of encountering novelty. Initially, we may be disturbed or even fearful, but once we have become familiar with the new and can see its possibilities, our initial defensiveness can give way to imagination and energy.
Amazement and innovation are inherently social phenomena. Intrigue can naturally give way to inspiration, which makes us feel not merely curious but also energized by the possibilities that we begin to see. We begin to own the idea and feel moved to share our excitement with others. We have made a transition from object to subject, from observer to actor and champion.  As champions of an idea, we want to lead others through journeys of amazement, past worry through intrigue to inspiration.
It’s no wonder that the origins of the word amazement involve emotional ambivalence. During the different stages of encountering novelty, we experience a range of emotions: we might be amazed and worried, amazed and intrigued, or amazed and inspired. By understanding these dynamics, idea champions and adopters alike can develop a greater awareness of the interplay of ideas, emotions, and timing that lies at the core of innovation—and use this understanding productively to shape idea-journeys for themselves and for those around them.

Also Read: Humility: The Grounded Greatness

The fact is, ‘we are here not to outdo each other, we are here to find meaning in our daily laborious lives.’ And meaning happens when the soul is touched. Enlightenment is simply the moment you realize how amazing it is to be alive. Wonder is the beginning of wisdom. Each day, each moment is a step into the unknown. How can we feel anything but amazement? If you can concentrate and devote yourself to repeatedly doing one single thing in a day, you will be amazed how best you will become in that thing after a given number of years. You must, first of all, evolve the consciousness of being the best in whatever territory you choose to explore and then invest all your time into it and you will be amazed how easy it is to become great.