Your face gazes upwards as you stand beneath the vastness of the star-studded night sky.
A stream of thoughts flitters by.
Where did it all come from?
Why is it all here?
How does it all work?
As children,
We witnessed the world through this lens of pure wonder.
We felt life to be a grand adventure.
It was a magical kingdom waiting to be explored.
And our minds were like sponges absorbing knowledge effortlessly.
Learning at a pace we rarely experience as adults.
What happened to that sense of wonder?
Where did that natural curiosity go?
It did not just vanish.
That childlike ability of wonder is still there.
Simply buried beneath layers of conditioning and expectation.
Waiting to again be excavated and rediscovered.
Within each of us is a natural ability to learn with curiosity and ease.
And,
Yeah,
This statement might pique your interest given the high rates of ADHD these days.
But we make the mistake of thinking that our brains are only malleable in childhood.
That we become rigid and set in our ways as adults.
This doesn't necessarily have to be true.
With what modern science now knows about neuroplasticity.
We understand that our brains remain adaptable throughout adulthood.
This means that our brains are continuously shifting and morphing,
And that we can train them to return to the state of openness and ease,
Similar to when we were children.
This doesn't mean that we revert back to a state of immaturity.
Casting off all responsibility and remaining like Peter Pan and the Lost Boys in Neverland.
We don't have to abandon the knowledge and skill we've gained through years of experience.
We can,
However,
Combine our inherent childlike wonder and curiosity with our mature capacities for critical thoughts and expression.
With this,
We channel our passion into purposeful service to the world.
How do we reawaken this sense of wonder so that we can truly be balanced contributors to the world?
I invite you to take a few moments simply to let your mind wander.
Allow your breath to deepen.
Filling your lower belly.
With each exhale,
Let your muscles relax.
Notice the calmness that simply arises from breathing and observing.
Let the sensation of calmness thoroughly sink into your bones.
Take a moment to gently scan your surroundings.
Observe even the most minute of details.
Smile gently.
Reflect on how fortunate this moment is.
Bask in the beauty of what surrounds you.
How rarely we allow ourselves these awe-inspired moments.
Yet in this state of presence,
Engagement,
Awe,
And gratitude,
You may find your mind becoming more relaxed and open.
You may notice a renewed sense of vibrancy.
And from this feeling of openness and vibrancy,
Unique thoughts again begin to emerge from the void.
Seemingly out of nowhere.
And that is the state of wonder.
In this space,
We can play with and shape the unique thoughts that arise and allow them to pave the way for explorative and analytical thinking.
Perhaps recently you felt mentally stagnant,
Or found yourself relying too heavily on AI to do your thinking for you.
He might feel mentally dulled or tired,
Struggling to think,
Learn,
Or focus as he once did.
The good news is that these skills can be redeveloped.
Through deliberate practice.
Starting with that feeling of wonder that we just experienced.
As unique thoughts begin to emerge from that state of wonder,
We can train ourselves to redirect our attention to these thoughts,
Rather than letting them drift away unexamined.
This is where concentration and focus come into play,
Allowing that chain of thoughts to emerge more deeply.
A process of cognitive structuring takes place.
And once fleeting thoughts become more dense,
And they consolidate into fully formed ideas,
And those ideas condense even further,
Evolving into well-structured concepts.
Finally,
Those well-structured concepts are solidified into material worlds.
Through communication.
Creativity,
And ultimately,
Action.
Transforming them into tangible outcomes.
To live healthy,
Purposeful lives and make a positive impact on the world.
It's important to take responsibility for every aspect of ourselves.
Including our ability to learn,
Think,
Write,
And communicate.
In a world filled with distractions and rapid change,
Fear and uncertainty often limit our capacities and stifle our curiosity.
It's perhaps easy to let the fear of the world's dangers cloud its beauty and its mystery.
But by reconnecting with the state of wonder that we once naturally experienced as children,
We can break free from fear and open ourselves to a light of greater insight,
Creativity,
Growth,
And purposeful action.
May we find the courage to take a step back from the noise,
Create space for wonder to emerge,
And allow it to guide us towards more meaningful and engaged lives.
Thank you for being here today.
May you be well.
