In summary, the passion and persistence of grit motivates and carries us over rough seas like a well-made surfboard. We can think of an absence of effort like a crack in our surfboard that needs repair.

When I was a junior at the University of Vermont, I told my study abroad adviser only two things; I'll go anywhere in the world, but it has to be cheap. As student loans began piling up, my parents were less than enthused about the prospect of spending even more money on a trip abroad.

What matters is that the individual himself accept the time and energy needed to metabolize and integrate the psychic change in order to continue with life in the present.

Awe isn't always a comforting feeling -- sometimes it can be downright frightening -- but it's a powerful way to cut through the monotony and see things in a new light. We hope that the awe exercises on Greater Good in Action will be a useful starting point as you aspire to make your life more "awesome."