Notice the Every Day WOW
You are walking to the meeting room and nothing registers on your external radar. You’re probably lost in thought, trying to prepare yourself for the people in the meeting. You don’t notice the beautiful painting of the little house tucked along a hillside. You don’t notice the people walking by you because you are so focused on getting everything in order.
If you are too caught up in cramming for your meeting, you won’t be relaxed and able to communicate with a clear mind.
You are also missing out on a huge percentage of all the good stuff in your life. You are too busy trying to keep things under control that you forgot to let “WOW” be a part of your every day life. Sure, we all get used to the same things in our life, but when we choose to ignore them instead of taking a little time to enjoy where we are then we are losing the most valuable tool to enjoying our jobs - appreciation of the every day details.
Point B
We’ve all heard the statement that half the fun is the journey, but what it doesn’t say is that you need to stop and soak in the journey. When you are rushing to the next thing you are never taking the time to notice the regular “WOW.”
This thought was spurred by a NY Times article. It was written by a doctor who has gotten so used to death that it took a new resident to show him that he had to slow down and let moments sink in. A death may seem significant to most people, but this doctor was becoming accustomed to it. We may not have to deal with this at our jobs, but there are many noteworthy occurrences that happen to each and every one of us that go ignored.
We chose to ignore the beauty in our lives. We do this because we think that we need to stay focused and be so productive that we accomplish all our goals. If we don’t then we get mad at our inability to achieve our tasks.
Why so many people are unhappy at work
We never take a look around and appreciate the bang, boom, and crack of the simple. You are one of the luckiest persons in the world, being able to relax and enjoy this article.
The best description of how lucky we are to be here was written by a Zen master. I’m paraphrasing. It went something like this…
The chance of you being born is as likely as a plane flying 10,000 feet over the ocean, the co-pilot throwing a hula hoop out of the plane, which lands in the middle of the vast sea, and having a turtle float to the surface and pop her head up within that hula hoop. You have been given a gift to accomplish great work. It’s up to you to enjoy it.
How Lucky We Are
It’s up to you to take time to see the wow that’s in your life. It could be…
- A joke from a customer that makes you laugh.
- A telephone call that brings you a $10,000 contract for you company.
- A bird chirping outside your home office.
- Your mother calling you just to check in.
Some days are filled with deadlines and getting to point B, but take the time to notice the regular “WOW” and you’ll improve your ability to relax before a stressful event like a big meeting.
Articles Related to Expanding Our Ability to Appreciate Our Current Situation:
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- Use Failure as Your Slingshot
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August 14th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Hi Karl: I guess we’ve been thinking about the same things because I just wrote a post on slowing down. I went and read the New York Times story you link to here. In my post I wrote about how people missed a violin virtuoso playing in a subway station, that is, beauty in the middle of the ordinary. You have the other side of the coin here: missing death, something so momentous, in the middle of the ordinary. Wow.
Marelisa’s last blog post..Slow Down - 32 Ways to Start Now
August 14th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Hey Marelisa, beauty in the middle of the ordinary is a great theme for an article. We do miss so many things going through our regular routine. It’s when we slow down that we can really soak in the beauty.
August 14th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I guess I’m on the same page too - I just read Marelisa’s article!
These are great points. In fact, this morning I had a meeting to prepare for. I was rushed and harried in getting everything setup - and guess what - I was missing any chance at good stuff while this was going on.
I do try to enjoy my work - but it is easy to get caught up in the next deadline - and not appreciate the journey to get there. I love the Zen master writing - it makes you (me) really think - I AM lucky to be here. I should appreciate it, and also embrace the world around me (around me all the time). My goal will be to focus on appreciating the journey along the way.
Lance’s last blog post..Maintenance, Do You Do It?
August 15th, 2008 at 12:19 am
Hi Karl,
This reminds me of the book, “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. He reminds us to live in the moment. Just like you said, by doing so, we often see blessings we might have otherwise missed.
Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..Casual Friday - Open Mic
August 15th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Hi there Karl
I’ve always remember someone, who worked in the mystic arts, say to me that it is a huge honour to have a body - that there are lots of souls lined up waiting for one.
I don’t know how true that is, but it’s not such a bad thing to bear in mind!
Robin’s last blog post..Letting Creativity Just Slip In
August 15th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Heya Karl!
Truly agree that we should take a step off and notice the smaller things in life that gave us the smile for the moment. Savor and cherish them and keep them as memories that we can think back and smile again.
Daniel
Daniel Richard’s last blog post..A! Cos? All Things Are Possible Starts With That
August 15th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
The Urbane Lion and I have been so caught up in our regular 9-5 job, our blogging, and our home renos, that we realized we were starting to miss the simple Wow events. Tonight we are heading out on the boat for the night. No cell phones, no laptops, no household tasks. Just us, the water, and the night breezes. We’ll come back to shore tomorrow morning refreshed and ready start again, only this time with big smiles on our faces.
Urban Panther’s last blog post..The beginning of the end
August 15th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Hey Urban Panther, it’s all about reducing our intake. When we slow down and allow the breezes be felt that’s when we immerse ourselves in every day beauty.
Hey Daniel, when we take the time to remember the good moments we are reinforcing positive perspective.
Hey Robin, I love my body. When I’m with my wife, doing yoga, and smelling the air after a rain.
Hey Barbara, absolutely love “The Power of Now”
Hey Lance, it takes a lot of practice to appreciate each moment instead of letting the “monkey mind” take us to worries and regrets. The more we practice our ability to enjoy the moment the more rich it becomes.
August 16th, 2008 at 7:12 am
@Karl - if only the breezes would stop being gale force we could actually go out on the boat *chuckle* However, an evening of munchies and an early bedtime had the same effect. The Lion and I are raring to go today. Have a great weekend!
Urban Panther’s last blog post..Do you even care who’s looking?