The things that you once considered wonderful, you now take for granted.
In fact, the process of growing from an infant to an old person is the gradual but certain loss of wonder.
Being able to see the wonder in things around us is one of the ways we make our lives more meaningful and enjoyable. Just look at children for a quick lesson on how to be happy. Almost everything fascinates them, triggers ideas, generates excitement.
How can you get that vibrancy back?
While we can all certainly experience wonder in new things - new locations, new experiences, new books, new ideas, you can also re-capture past wonder and find new wonder in the things you do each day.
Think about things that have become habit for you. The next time you do them, do them as if you were a beginner again. Start with your drive or commute to work. Make it an exercise in finding wonder. Look at things with fresh eyes. Be curious. For example, you can breathe in the aroma and savour the taste of your coffee, really get lost in it.
The heat, the bittersweet taste, how it makes you feel. How does it work?
Make a list of things you found wonderful at different stages in your life.
How can you re-experience those things? And make a list of wonders you find each day or week. Start a "wonder" journal!
Plan a mini-vacation or a day trip to someplace wonderful for you.
Or go to an old event, focused on different things.
The next time you go to a movie or a game, focus less on the action and more on the audience, the way the whole thing is setup, the dynamics of the event.
Go shopping for something entirely different than you usually would. You get the idea.
Make life "wonder-full" again!
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
