Whoooaaahhh!

I've had the honor of witnessing firsthand this holiday season through the eyes of a 2 & ½ year old.  Let me just say it's been magical! 

One of the things this toddler has inherited is a family tradition where one of Santa's elves comes to your house every night starting on December 1^st and leaves a small package for you if you leave your shoes outside of your room.  It has some loose connection to an Icelandic tradition about 13 Yule Lads who visit the children of that country, but regardless of its origins, this tradition has been a gift to me this year.  

Every morning I've gotten to watch a video of this sleepy toddler find their package from the elf and open it. And without fail, and no matter what is inside the bag, the response is always this genuine joy that comes out in a, "Whoooaaahhh!"  Melts my heart every day!

Earlier this week I was watching one of these videos with my usual big, cheesy grin on my face, and the thought occurred to me, "I need to embrace more Whoooaaahhh in my life!" 

There are so many small opportunities where I could find genuine joy in a moment of awe and wonder, but I don't seem to let those moments linger.  I understand that with the pressures of life and adulthood, it's often more difficult to see these moments through those eyes of innocence, but I think if I were to slow down, and actually notice more, my life and heart would be fuller and richer because of it.

Of course, this also made me think of you today, wondering how all of our lives might be enriched if we were to embrace more Whoooaaahhh. Are there places or relationships that immediately come to your mind where you might be able to find some of that Whoooaaahhh for yourself?  How could you adjust your perspective, so you were seeing the world with a little more childlike innocence? If you were to pay attention to the small moments today, no matter what they contained, could you embrace a little more awe and wonder in your life, and how might you share that with the people around you?

Here's to embrace more Whoooaaahhh in our lives this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center. We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we'd love to support you! Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.