One element of creativity that’s worth revisiting as often as possible is sense of wonder. This concept tends to be associated with childlike wonder, which makes sense. What else would come to mind when thinking about a person who’s constantly surprised by life?

James Clear puts it in precise words:

Children are joyful and treat each day as a miracle. (…) Each day, they hear a new word or listen to a new song or learn about a new animal. It’s their first time visiting that restaurant or jumping in that pool or riding that rollercoaster. The world is continually unfolding before them.

 

Clear also asks a couple of important questions: How can you introduce more surprise into your life as an adult? How can you renew your sense of wonder and creativity?

As adults, we spend our time on “serious” things, and we view play and wonder as activities that wouldn’t fit our busy schedules. I think about The Little Prince and its multiple lessons and famous quotes. “All grown-ups were once children, but only few remember it.”

In a way, we all lose our sense of wonder as we grow old. How did that happen? Why? At times it’s hard to tell, but it’s still possible to recover it and cultivate it. Vanessa Lemen has some great suggestions:

See, perceive, and respond: I like how she invites you to think about the first thing that catches your attention when you’re observing something. Become aware of your perceptions and see how that impacts your world.

Be excited: “It’s in the search that you will unearth a newfound sense of enthusiasm and eagerness.” Treat what you do with a sense of adventure, and your experiences will be engaging.

Be fearless: It’s possible to reconstruct your modes of response by allowing the new into your daily routine. Do things that you don’t know how to do and discover places to be.

Another suggestion that comes to mind to reactivate your sense of wonder and creativity is getting a dictionary. Yes, an actual physical copy of a dictionary to make yourself learn words and take a break from Google. You’ll be surprised of new meanings and new aspects of your language.

What would you add to the list of suggestions?