“Wonderbringers”: How to dissolve work-life stress with awe

In our opinion, the best place to work in the world is nowhere else in the world — it’s in orbit about 250 miles above the Earth. International Space Station (ISS).

For over 20 years, astronauts have been aboard the ISS maintaining the station and conducting cutting-edge scientific research in fields as diverse as physics, microbiology, astronomy and medicine. As the name suggests, these astronauts come from many different cultures, countries and professions.

But this is not space travel. Living and working in such a harsh environment, in close quarters, with people who don’t speak your language is hard work. But when the astronauts return, many remember the experience with reverence.

Former astronaut Leland Melvin said in an interview with Big Think, “Seeing a planet without borders and one race of humans changed my perception. When I returned home, I felt much more connected to everyone around me.” […] I felt we had a common purpose in preserving our humanity.”

This shift in perspective isSummary EffectsIt is associated with deep emotions, a sense of self-transcendence, and a strong connection with other people and with humanity as a whole. A major catalyst for this change is the sense of awe and wonder felt after seeing Earth from space.

Stories like these demonstrate the hidden power of surprise. According to Monica Parker: author Founder of Global Human Analytics Consultancy hatchLeaders who want to create work environments that foster inclusion, belonging, and resilience would be wise to harness that power. Thankfully, you don’t have to move your office to low orbit to do so.

No small surprises

Before leaders can create opportunities to wow, they need to understand what experiences will spark wow. The obvious answer here is an unparalleled life moment. While seeing our home Earth from space certainly meets the criteria, comparable experiences on Earth include:

• Witness the Aurora.
• Walk the Great Wall.
• He will perform the Hajj rituals with over one million believers.

But while we think of surprises as something grand and wonderful, Parker points out that we can also find the little surprises in our everyday lives. “We can find the little surprises in our own lives, and I encourage everyone to do that, because that’s where the real impact is,” Parker tells Big Think.

Whether spectacular or mundane, Parker calls these moments “wow-inducing,” and he divides them into three categories:

The first is nature. These wonders include spectacular sights like touring the Grand Canyon or viewing a solar eclipse, but they can also be found right outside your door. Gardening, searching for agates on the beach, watching the leaves change color on the trees in the fall, or observing seasonal bird migrations all provide daily wonders.

The second category is social: the people around us. As mentioned above, these can take the form of large gatherings, such as participating in mass worship or stadium-shaking chants at a World Cup game. But social awe can also be found in the presence of a charismatic speaker or incredible talent, and even in everyday acts of kindness, courage, and perseverance. In fact, research shows that the most common source of awe in our lives is other people.

The final category is cognitive: the amazement we feel when we encounter a profound idea or concept. This can be found in new scientific discoveries about the universe, explorations of deep philosophical questions, incredible feats of engineering, or pondering the nature of life and death.

But Parker points out that these categories are not separate: music, for example, is a source of wonder that can be enjoyed in the pub with friends or studied as an artistic achievement, while a painting can simultaneously represent the wonders of nature and offer insight into the human condition.

Making miracles happen at work

From the examples above, it may seem like finding surprise is easy, and it is. If you know where to look and are open to it, you can find surprise anywhere. Parker points out that the reason we can’t experience surprise is often due to self-created barriers.

“One of those obstacles is hurry. We’re always in a hurry, and we might pass surprises right by,” she says. “To find surprises, we need to slow down and create time and space. And we can do that through what I call ‘slow thinking.'”

When introducing surprises into the workplace, a leader’s goal isn’t to set a quota of surprises for managers to achieve, or for the results to be tallied in an end-of-year meeting. Instead, the goal is to provide time and opportunity for surprises and foster a culture where employees feel free to share them with their teammates.

This goal lends itself to a variety of approaches, but to start, Parker recommends considering the following strategies:

• Plan your corporate retreat in an awe-inspiring setting. National parks, historic sites and live events are places where you’ll find a wealth of surprises.
• Take a team wonder walk: studies show that even 15 minutes is enough to improve mental health. Nature is ideal for such a walk, but markets, museums and historical centres are also good options.
• Evoke nostalgia. This takes advantage of the social surprise category and can be as simple as sharing a childhood photo or story at the start of your next meeting.
• They lead with wonder-based qualities such as empathy, humility, kindness, and honesty.

As is often the case with positive emotions, Parker reminds us that “wonder is doubled when wonder is shared.”

Are the surprises never ending?

How does surprise impact the workplace? Parker points out that moments of surprise encourage connection and help foster inclusive workplaces where people from all walks of life can do their best work as a team. The success of the International Space Station over the last quarter century is a perfect example.

“[Wonder] “Our sense of generosity and community building has expanded and we want to embrace other people who we weren’t accepting of before,” Parker said.

And the benefits continue: Research also shows that awe and surprise can lift people’s moods, increase humility, reduce materialism, improve life satisfaction, and reduce stress and anxiety. So leaders shouldn’t just view surprise as a job perk; they should view surprise as an important element of any workplace that values ​​its employees and wants to help them bring their best to work.

“Sometimes the concept of surprise becomes, ‘Oh, it’s just a hobby, or it’s nice to have.’ In fact, surprise is [is] “It’s fundamental to our makeup. It feeds our souls,” Parker said.