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Now? Wow!
How to create experience from the inside out.
“This is cool!” “Amazing!” “Unbelievable!” “I’ve never seen anything like this!”
We know when we’ve been wowed. Hit by a spectacular, impressive, marvelous, sensational, out-of-category, world-class experience and absorbed in a compelling event or defining moment.
When awe fills the mind, we understand that life is an experience more than anything else. So we search for these magical moments and ecstatic events. We chase and crave them. It’s no wonder the experience economy is exploding. We want wow, now!
Luckily, the wow effect is not just rooted in happenings and concerts. Even the tiniest events can profoundly impact us, like an unexpected act of kindness, a personal note from a colleague, or loving attention from a friend. It doesn’t have to be spectacular — just noticed and valued.
External events, as well as inner events, can trigger a wow moment. For most of us, an untapped potential is waiting just outside the normal awareness span and everyday tunnel vision. The trick is to slow down, become aware, move attention inside, and create space for some thought spotting and mental sightseeing.
This brings us to one of the most fascinating insights in recent brain science: your experience of reality is not objective — it’s…
