3 Simple Ways to Make Every Day Extraordinary

Source: Thaís Silva / Pexels

Think of a time when you felt at one with the world and others, and a diminished sense of self.

Perhaps you were marveling at the dazzling stars dotting the midnight sky. Maybe you were meditating with others. Or you could have been packed into a sports stadium with thousands of passionate fans cheering on your favorite soccer team.

Regardless of the situation, suddenly you felt like you were part of something larger than yourself. You felt more open and connected with others and the universe.

In other words, you experienced a sense of awe.

Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley and the leading scientist on awe, defines it as “a sense of being in the presence of something vast and mysterious that transcends our understanding of the world.”

Awe is self-transcendent. Unlike physical pleasure, which narrows our attention to focus on ourselves, positive emotions like awe take us away from the self. We become absorbed into something bigger.

Keltner notes that awe doesn’t just feel good, it’s also good for us. Awe provides us with an array of physical and emotional benefits including enhanced cognitive capacities, increased creativity, and greater kindness and compassion.

We recently returned from an awe-filled week in Rome with our 13-year-old son where we attended two soulful, yet starkly different, back-to-back events on the same day: a special Papal mass for World Children’s Day at St. Peter’s Square as well as a Lazio soccer game at Olympic Stadium.

Suzie, Liam, and James attended Papal Mass celebrating World Children's Day

Source: Suzie Pileggi Pawelski

More than 50,000 people piled into the Square and the stadium for each of these events. The faithful followers and fans alike displayed their admiration and enthusiasm for their beloved Pope and local team by singing, cheering, and waving flags in unison.

The collective energy made us feel like we were part of something larger than ourselves—and that we were one with the crowd. We definitely felt a sense of awe.

This type of phenomenon can be measured by science.

The Science of Awe

For the love of God or the love of sports, Keltner has found that when we are moving together—whether it’s doing rituals together at a church or chanting at a game—these collective actions sync us up physiologically. Our cortisol and our hormones literally link up with one another so that we end up in a shared mental state.

We tend to think that the transcendent emotion comes from grand occasions like these. And sometimes it does. Those momentous experiences are incredible, of course, but everyday awe is equally as important, Keltner found.

In a 2023 study, Keltner and colleagues surveyed more than 2,000 people from 26 countries asking them to describe moments in their life when they felt a sense of awe. Surprisingly, the moments that most commonly led to awe were not necessarily extraordinary ones we might expect but rather ordinary ones—things like seeing acts of bravery, watching others overcome challenges, and witnessing displays of compassion.

In fact, Keltner found that we are most likely to experience awe when we are with others and moved by moral beauty. Witnessing goodness in action elevates us. Our hearts and minds expand, and we are moved to something higher. It leads to a greater sense of connection with ourselves and others.

We found this to be the case throughout our visit to Rome, not just on the two grandiose occasions mentioned above.

We were in Rome because James was invited to speak at the Humanity 2.0 Forum at the Vatican. Held at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Forum brought together academics, entrepreneurs, and clerics to help accelerate global human flourishing.

Throughout the two-day event, we felt inspired by the countless encounters we had with like-minded people who share a common mission of doing good. Witnessing people closely connecting and sharing best practices for spreading goodness throughout the world was uplifting.

The good news is you don’t have to go to Rome to have these types of experiences.

Some personal examples from our own lives back at home experiencing everyday awe include spotting a majestic hawk gliding outside our office window, seeing our young son guiding his visually impaired grandmother up the stairs, and gathering with close friends to watch a friend’s poetic dance performance.

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How to Find Awe in Your Daily Life

As we write in Happy Together, happiness doesn’t just happen. It’s healthy habits that build happiness over the long run. The same is true with awe. Kelter explains how awe is everywhere but it’s up to us to find it. We need to practice opening ourselves up to awe.

Some tips we recommend for those who are seeking more awe-like experiences include the following:

• Reframe what awe is. We often encounter awe in our daily lives but don’t realize or notice it. Take time to slow down and reflect to see all the beauty and awe around us. Practice being childlike by bringing an open mind and a sense of wonder into your life and the lives of others.
• Go for “awe walks” in nature. Stop overscheduling yourself and racing from deadline to deadline. Allow for spontaneity and imagination. Build in time for mindful “awe walks” in nature allowing your mind to wander and dream. The default network, which leads to creativity and epiphanic moments, is most active when we are in a restful state.
• Inspire and be inspired. Build healthy connections and a strong sense of community. Remember that awe happens more with others than by ourselves, and that we find it more in the actions of ordinary people, rather than idols. It’s not so much looking inward but, rather, outward at the world around us. Connect with others on a daily basis who are focused on doing good in the world. Observe the best of what we can be and feel inspired by others.

In sum, remember that awe is everywhere. And awe is for everyone—the spiritual and the secular alike. We don’t need to travel to St. Peter’s Square or Olympic Stadium to experience awe. (Of course, if you have the opportunity to do so, we highly recommend it!)

However, there are simpler ways to experience awe right in front of us in the ordinary day-to-day life. We just need to actively open ourselves up to find it.