promote accidental experiences
overview
Any event can become an Experience if you treat it as such. As we grow up, we are more focused, and our field of view becomes narrower by default, both literally and figuratively. By being more mindful and aware, you become more present, and even the most trivial, everyday events and places can turn into Experiences.
Being present means cultivating a mindset that nothing is mundane. An Experience is not defined as worthy of your attention by some objective scale. Anything you put your attention to becomes worthy of it by definition. When you become part of what is happening around you, instead of fighting it, ignoring it, or tagging it as boring or trivial, you begin to Observe and discover. When you intend to be surprised, you find surprising things.
When you treat something as an Experience, it becomes one.
actionable steps
Turn dull, repetitive, or time-wasting activities into playgrounds of Accidental Experiences.
During these activities, be mindful. Be part of what is happening around you, at least in mind.
Write down what you see, sense, and feel in your Insight Journal.
examples
Example 1
While waiting for the train, explore the station, its architecture, and facilities. Observe the people and imagine who they are, where they are going, and what goes in their minds. This kind of activity involves Observation, Wonder and Imagination, but first and foremost, it turns this potentially wasted time into an Experience, and therefore sets the ground for it to leave a mark.
Example 2
Spice up “boring tasks” with surprising twists. When you go to the grocery shop, for example, you can decide to pick the groceries in your list in alphabetical order. A simple modification like this one can be enlightening, but even if no new insight emerges from it, it becomes an Experience.