The
“Eureka” moment is often a surprise—you see something you never noticed before,
or look at a situation in an entirely new way. “Planning for surprise” may
sound like an oxymoron, but you can arrange to be caught off guard by new
insights if you make an effort. Here’s how to cultivate a sense of never-ending
surprise in your life:
• Pay attention to everything around you. As you go
through your day, try to recognize when things are surprising—then focus your
energy on exploring them. Notice why you perceive or experience something as
being different. Explore the essence of the objects around you. Focus more
intently on what you taste, read, and see. Adopt the attitude that you can
learn something about whatever you see or experience. If you think you already
know everything about
the world, you won’t be able to enrich your life through observation and
learning.
•
Surprise someone every day. Say or do something new or different. Veer away
from your routine. Talk about a movie or book you’ve never discussed. Voice
your opinion about something you’ve kept quiet about before. Change your
hairstyle or wear something that is out of the ordinary for you.
• Keep a journal of surprising events. Make a record
of when you surprised others and when you yourself were surprised. This will
make your experiences less fleeting. When you write these experiences and
thoughts down, you prevent them from being lost in just a few hours when you
can’t remember them, and eventually you may see a pattern you had not noticed
before. From this you may find a path to explore that you hadn’t previously
noticed. And you may encourage the flow of creativity in your life.
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