Alright,
Let's be real for a second.
Life can be pretty full on,
Right?
You got phone bills,
You got work,
You got social media,
And sometimes it feels like we can barely keep up.
It's like we're running on a treadmill and there's no end in sight.
But every now and then,
Something incredible happens.
We stop and witness a sunset that makes us feel incredible,
Like it's been painted just for us.
Or just lie down on the floor and gaze at the stars and feel like we are part of something huge,
Or that we are so small compared to how the universe is.
Or sitting by the ocean,
Witnessing the waves and reminding ourselves of how powerful nature is,
And of how weak we are relative to nature.
Or even sometimes enjoying a landmark and reminding ourselves of how old this world is and of how young we are.
That pause where the world feels bigger and we feel smaller.
That is what I'm going to be talking about today,
My friends.
That is awe.
And the cool thing about it is that it's something that really makes us feel great,
But it's not just an anecdotal or wishy-washy kind of feeling.
It's something that is backed by science.
Awe is an experience that can uplift us,
That can bring out the best in us,
And that can help inspire us to be better people.
And several studies have documented the power of awe.
And I just want to talk to you a little bit about how it can benefit us and in what ways it can propel us to become better people.
And what I like about awe is that it doesn't care who you are.
It doesn't matter who you are.
It doesn't matter where you are.
You can experience it anywhere in the world.
You can experience it at any time,
Regardless.
It's something that is so powerful and accessible.
So let's dive into how awe can bring out the best in us.
So firstly,
Why do we need awe?
And at least I'm explaining it all from my perspective.
You see,
As humans,
We tend to get a little bit ahead of ourselves.
We tend to get caught up in our own selves.
I hate to use the word narcissism,
But sometimes that happens.
We tend to think that we are actually bigger and more important than what we actually are.
And while we are innovative,
Creative,
And influential creatures,
At the end of the day,
We are very,
Very small parts of a huge plan.
And the experience of awe helps remind us where we are,
Where we stand in the grand scheme of things.
Now,
There are different types of awe.
There's spiritual awe.
There is natural awe that is inspired by nature.
There is awe that benefits our physical health.
There is awe that inspires us to be better people.
And everyday awe that we can experience,
It doesn't have to be something remarkable.
It could be something so simple.
One of the most amazing experiences I've experienced in my life,
And I tend to try to bring myself back there as often as I possibly can,
Is when I go down the Great Ocean Road and I stop by the Twelve Apostles.
For those who aren't from Australia,
The Twelve Apostles are these huge limestone structures that have been created over time through fossils.
And they're huge.
They've been around for millions of years.
And they really do inspire me because I look at them and they make me feel so much smaller.
They remind me of how great the universe,
How great God,
How great nature is.
And they liken my place in this world to something of a higher experience,
A spiritual experience.
And it really does help instill a greater sense of humility in me.
Nature does that.
Nature is incredible,
The vastness of it.
And if we can learn how to experience it properly,
Then we can grow so much from it.
Now,
I just want to remind you that awe is not something that we've made up or something that some people experience and others don't.
It's not wishy-washy.
There are a lot of scientific studies that have outlined how important and how practical and how useful awe can be to the average person.
One study that comes to mind is a study by Dr.
Keltner from UC Berkeley.
Now,
Dr.
Keltner took 60 subjects,
60 individuals aged over 75,
And he split them into two groups.
One group went for a 50-minute walk on their own.
They just said,
Go 50 minutes a day for a walk around the block.
The second group,
They guided them through a 15-minute walk.
And throughout that walk,
They strategically mapped the walks so they can stop from time to time.
They encouraged to stop and experience things like the stars or perhaps even a giant structure,
Or there may have been an incredibly epic song in the background.
Just stop and experience.
In other words,
Stop and smell the roses.
Experience the beauty of nature at its fullest and just soak that in.
And what really amazed me is the two groups that were split,
The group that experienced awe overall were happier,
Experienced more joy,
Were more hopeful,
Motivated.
I mean,
It's incredible.
When you experience these emotions,
Everything else works better.
Awe does really instill a greater sense of humility in us.
When we're experiencing awe,
We are reminded there are bigger things than us.
And as humans,
Especially in today's world,
It's very important that we are reminded of that.
There are bigger things than us,
Humans,
Out there.
And that can help bring us back a little bit,
Bring us back and appreciate something greater than us.
That evokes feelings of happiness,
Appreciation,
Honesty,
Empathy,
Right?
Those are very,
Very important emotions.
Studies have shown the humans who experience awe are less likely to cheat in tests and in life,
Are more appreciative and more grateful for what they have,
Are more empathetic,
And cultivate better relationships throughout their lives.
So there's something very powerful to be said about experiencing awe.
Awe can also help us alleviate social anxiety because when we understand there's something greater than us,
The little things don't bother us anymore.
And that can just help us achieve so much and navigate through life a lot more effortlessly.
So I encourage you to go out there and experience awe.
Go out there and stop,
Experience nature to its fullest.
Look up into the sky,
Listen to this beautiful,
Epic song,
Classical music,
Whatever song it is that makes you feel happy.
Appreciate animals from a farm more often.
Enjoy plants,
Enjoy landmarks,
And just enjoy what it is that we have around us.
Appreciate what it is that has been there for a lot longer than us.
Nature,
The ocean,
The forests.
Go out there and experience awe as often as possible,
And you will find not only will your life feel a lot more navigable,
But you will also experience more joy and you'll feel a lot more inclined to express yourself more authentically and to cultivate better relationships and to be the best version of yourself.
So go ahead,
Experience awe.
Do this as often as you can.
You can journal about it and let me know how it goes.
I'll chat to you soon.
