Marvel — Find Magic in Everything
overview
The human mind is incredibly adaptive. Our brain holds a mental model of the world, and this mental-model absorbs much of what we perceive. In plain words, it is too easy to take much of what we Observe for granted.
Proactively and intentionally taking the time to marvel at whatever you Observe has a double effect. It reinforces the sense of Experience, which makes you perceive even more. At the same time, when you find magic in what you Observe, you find new ways to see it and new surprising discoveries within it.
Children learn about the world by marveling at what they see. Their mental model is not yet taking anything for granted. When you manage to find the magic in what you Observe, you make your mental-model more flexible and open.
actionable steps
Think about the new things you discover when you Observe. Don’t try to understand them — marvel at them. Consider how you missed them before, and ask yourself what else you might be missing in the subject of your exploration.
Find something new and surprising in the ordinary things you come across — something you overlooked or that was hidden. Doing so will make you Observe more, which will provide you with more opportunities to Wonder.
Write down what you discovered and what you marveled at in your Insight Journal.
examples
Example 1
Observe an object, a phenomenon, or a behavior mindfully and find something you didn’t expect to see or sense in it. Take some time to admire the discovery. Don’t try to understand it or make sense of it. Just marvel at it.