In her book THRIVE, Arianna Huffington explains how one of her mom's gifts was that she was in a constant state of wonder at the world around her. She maintained a sense of wonder at life. Whenever Arianna was upset or would complain about something, her mom would say: "Just change the channel. You are in control of the clicker."
I love that.
Let me ask you: Where are you giving up control of your clicker? Where in your life can you just change the channel and experience more wonder and joy?
Arianna talks about wonder as "not just a product of what we see... It's just as much a product of our state of mind, our being, the perspective from which we are looking at the world."
Some of the greatest minds who ever lived, from Einstein to astronauts, from entrepreneurs to Aristotle, have a great sense of wonder about the world.
I think some of the great examples of this actually come from astronauts who have transformational experiences. They look back at earth from space, and they articulate something really neat about life itself. Let me share two in particular I like.
American astronaut Michael Collins once said:
I really believe that if the political leaders of the world could see their planet from a distance of 100,000 miles their outlook could be fundamentally changed. That all important border would be invisible, that noisy argument silenced. The tiny globe would continue to turn, serenely ignoring its subdivisions, presenting a unified facade that would cry out for unified understanding, for homogeneous treatment. The earth must become as it appears: blue and white, not capitalist or Communist; blue and white, not rich or poor; blue and white, not envious or envied.
The second quote I like is from Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, who said in People magazine in 1974:
You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that, you son of a b*tch."
It's very powerful if you get a perspective that gives you a sense of wonder about the world. Yet, as Arianna points out in her book THRIVE, she's always been more fascinated with exploring "inner space" than simply outer space.
So, what can we do to get more in touch with our "inner space" so we "Don't Miss The Moment"?
Arianna gives us three suggestions in her book THRIVE. Let me share one of them with you: "Pick an image that ignites the joy in you. It can be your child, a pet, the ocean, a painting you love -- something that inspires a sense of wonder. And any time you feel contracted, go to it to help you expand."
This simple piece of advice can help you have more joy, more satisfaction and more wonder in your life.
Everything Arianna shares about wonder in her book THRIVE (and there's A LOT more!) is interesting and practical. I really like it, and you should check out her book here.
In my next article, we're going to talk about Pillar #4 in the Third Metric. So stay tuned cause I'm really looking forward to sharing this with you, and I think it will help you have more REAL success!