You are beautiful and wonderful, but this mini-mission invites you to be wonder-full, or full of wonder.
Wonder is defined as:
to think or speculate curiously or to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel
To be wonder-full is a combination of both. Be curiously amazed or think through things with admiration or awe. Marvel in your questions and your answers.
10 ways to be wonder-full
try something new
It can be a challenge to break out of a comfortable routine and try something new, but adding a new experience to your life teaches you about what you like and don’t like, and informs future decision making. You may even uncover a passion you didn’t know existed.
be childlike
Jump in puddles. Ask why (over and over again). Roll around laughing. Remind yourself that life can be important without being too serious.
do something scary
Push your limits and question fear. Something scary doesn’t have to be jumping out of a plane. It could be thinking about a new business, going to a yoga class for the first time or talking to someone you’ve never met before.
meet people
Be open to the fact that everyone has something to offer. Different backgrounds, cultures and life experiences gives each of us a unique point of reference and frame of mind. One way is not right or wrong or better or worse. It’s just different. Learn from those differences by asking questions and learning about other people.
daydream
Let your mind wander with wonder. What would happen if…? Wouldn’t it be crazy if I did…? I wonder if I could collaborate with… and then…? Put your day dreams on paper and develop one. Don’t shut yourself down or unprioritize because you are busy. These day dreams are important and can be life changing.
learn
Take a class or course. Read blogs and books. Enjoy discovering and dig for treasure as you learn about something that you didn’t know before. Then, if you love what you’ve learned, teach it to someone else.
grow something
My sister gave me a “year of seeds” with 12 packets of flower seeds, instructions, and a little pot for each. I planted Impatiens about 10 days ago, and have been watching this little pot every day. I’ve seen 3 seeds sprout and one has grown about 2 inches tall and formed tiny leaves. I know that other people have grown things before, but to grow one thing and learn from it every day nothing short of awe-inspiring. Noticing beauty, resilience, and power in this little plant is wonder-full.
journal
a journal doesn’t have to be a record of your life or a diary of your day. It could, but it could also just be a place to empty your head, capture ideas, and wonder about what what you wrote and what you’ll write tomorrow. Some of the best ideas and questions come from writing about the everyday stuff.
visit the ocean
The ocean is bigger than all of your problems and no matter what, the water comes in and the water goes out. Salt, sand and water is just the beginning of an ocean experience. When you really get curious, and dig into wonder-fullness, you can start to think about the world below the waves. Life in the ocean flows without knowledge of time, money or stuff.
read
Opening a book is a commitment to learn about a new point of view, or experience. Reading is entertainment, inspiration and information all in one. I love to read and recently started a book list. Instead of a stack of books that I have to get through, I read one at a time. When I’m finished, I start a new one. Some take longer than others to finish depending on other projects and commitments, but I always look forward to coming back to a good book. It’s where I get lost, and where I get found.
There are so many ways to be wonder-full, but sometimes a full schedule, busy day or time of worry closes us off. Take small steps, be wonder-full one at a time and revel, marvel and be in awe of all that the world has to offer and all that you have to give back.
How will you be wonder-full today?
For more experiments to simplify your life, read Mini-missions for Simplicity. It’s available on the Amazon Kindle store, but you don’t need a Kindle to read it. Kindle books can also be read using the Free Kindle Reader App for your Web Browser, PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android.
Being childlike is what I try to do, although I often resist it. Just the other night I had my rain boots on in the rain and my husband and I went on a walk. He said “Go play in the puddles!” I looked at him kinda funny and resisted for a second. Then I decided to play and do it just because I could. I did some stomping and walking around in the deep puddles and I realized that it was actually fun!
Kourtney, It seems silly to have rain boots if you aren’t going to use them for puddle jumping! 😉 Next up … finger painting.
Funny this would be posted just today. While I have time in the schedule to enjoy myself I rarely actually let myself enjoy myself and immerse myself in what I enjoy most. Today I started my day with some intensive work, made phone calls I would normally be too nervous to make (it’s kind of nerve-wracking to make calls that you know can land you your dream!) and then I took the rest of the afternoon and evening to read. I picked up Elie Wiesel’s Night that I have been putting off reading (because that’s the one I’ve most wanted to read – makes sense? let’s go with no). Now I’m taking a wee break and have only a few pages left. Amazing, awe-inspiring, inspirational, through-provoking, heart-breaking and full of love and commitment to life and family!
Wow Nin, Sounds like you accomplished lots of wonder-fullness today. Keep making those phone calls if they will lead to your dream. Exciting stuff! Thanks for inspiring us.
Since I do many of these things already does that mean I’m wonder-full? I’ll just go ahead and believe that. 🙂
Coincidentally, tonight I’m taking my first yoga class in 20 years, 2nd ever. I didn’t care for it the first time, but I’ve decided to try again. Who knows? Maybe I’ll develop a new passion.
Such perfect timing as always! I was hesitant on whether or not to keep our second car that needed work. I took a leap of faith and put an ad on Craig’s List. I told myself that if it wasn’t sold by the end of the weekend, I’d re-evaluate. It sold 10 minutes later! I’m still a bit nervous for being a one car house in a family of four with poor public transit, but now have a wad of cash in its place 🙂
Inspiring and timely, Courtney!
I find having young kids to simultaneously lead me towards and away from wonder-fullness. Finger painting, playing in the sand, digging in the garden and going for long, meandering walks are all full of opportunities for a wonder-full day.
But too often I think of them as “things I have to do to get through the day with the kids” lest they get bored or crabby. I need to see them as opportunities for me to experience wonder too.
Thanks for the reminder, and for the great message to think on over the weekend.
Brooke x
I LOVED reading this. I feel so inspired now to fill myself with wonder.
I particularly like your point about daydreaming. I spend so much time daydreaming, but it’s not often that I sit down and let one of my dreams develop… And being childlike is something I think everyone would benefit from. Adults are so serious – it would really do us good to shed our inhibitions and be kids again!
In a nutshell, these are all the things I want to do in my life. Your ideas have confirmed my challenges I have put in my personal life to go out and start embracing them. Thank you for the guide if I lose my way..
When it comes to a book list, have you heard of GoodReads.com? I use it to organize the books I want to read or are currently reading. I think you might like it as much as I do.
Loved this! This month, we are planting a garden in the space where our children’s play set used to be. Looking forward to it now in a whole new way!
Great post! A few years ago I started learning taekwondo (we went to sign up our kids and we all got into it). That was “trying something new”! I never thought I’d be doing something like that. Recently I have competed in a couple tournaments, which was “doing something scary”. These things have contributed to my well-being in great ways. Very good advice!
Great post.
I’ve been doing all that most of my life. I’m never getting old. Maybe that is why others think I am crazy (as in when will you grow up?)
Have fun!
Love it! I spent all morning today in my windowless home office in front of my computer. Feeling very un-wonder-full. But then I went for a walk through the woods behind my house. Got caught in a bit of a blizzard but just being out in nature and exploring new trails was so exhilirating. I returned home quite full of wonder 🙂
The “do something scary” really speaks to me. I have been working on starting my own coaching business for several months and I notice this frequently. And it seems like doing the things that scare me the most – are also the things that bring the most reward.
Thanks for the post!
I love the way you describe the ocean and I am dreaming of the beach vacation I just booked for my family. I miss the ocean.
But for today, I found wonder in seeing through my child’s eyes. I didn’t something different, something small and drove my daughter to school instead of sending her out into the bitter cold to the bus stop. My son was more excited about starting the day with his sister in the car, and said this was the best day. They are reminders that the small things matter.
On other days, I find wonder in reading, journaling, listening to other’s journeys, hearing music lyrics, watching nature move, etc…
We have a garden in the summer and really miss it in the winter. So, last weekend we saw a sign for tropical plants.We stopped and went inside a very large greenhouse that was kept mostly by volunteers. We ended up buying a few plants for $1.00 each. It was so much fun. They had tons of tropical plants and many varieties of fruit trees! That place was amazing!
LOVE this post! My word for 2012 is “wonder” and there are some fantastic ideas here to support my journey. Thank you!
I very much enjoyed reading your post! A little over a year ago I went through a really bad time in my life and as I was coming out of that I decided that what you are talking about is exactly how I wanted to live my life! No more ‘just getting through life’ I want to LIVE my life to it’s wonder-fullest! So I have been doing just that since then and I can’t tell you what a difference its made in my day-to-day life as well as my overall outlook. I don’t do new years resolutions but this year I am determined to continue to be wonder-full! And now after reading your post I think there are a few more things I need to do; grow something, journal, and read more.
And let me just add how much fun it is to not only act like a child now and then, but the comments and looks you get from others, and yourself, when you do…priceless!
I didn’t have a term for it before but I really like the way you put it, wonder-full, that is truly what it is. Thank you for a much inspired and inspiring post! 🙂
I love jumping in puddles!
Another favorite: riding the shopping cart in the parking lot. You know, when you get a running start then hop on the foot rest and coast. I will rue the day I don’t enjoy that anymore (I don’t think that day will ever come anyway).
My three young children are great at reminding me of some of these things. Today I went for a walk with my 2 and 5 year old daughters. The two year old had to stop at every spot where the melting snow created some semblance of water. By the time she stomped in it, it was mud. Initially I thought of the clothes I would have to clean but, looking at her smile and her eyes light up with every stomp, my focus quickly changed and I smiled too.
Just reading this list made my heart open and light up. Stopping to notice the beauty all around us truly makes us wonder-full.
On keeping a journal, you don’t necessarily need to actually keep a journal to write a journal. You can write daily, or when things get stressful, but just discard the writings right after you write them. Or keep them a few days then read them….Then destroy them.
Not everyone wants to have a record of their deepest thoughts hanging around on paper or hard drives. But the writing is still helpful. If you know you are going to eliminate the writing, you might be more free in what you write.
Another method is to write a letter to someone. It can be someone still alive or someone that has passed on. Write the letter, but don’t send it. Put it in a fire, shred it, whatever.
If you are interested in keeping a diary, maybe have one to keep for the future, and one that you shred.