When we hear the word awe, we may picture the Grand Canyon, the Northern Lights, or some other ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience. But awe is not limited to the biggest moments of our lives.

Psychologist Dacher Keltner describes awe as the feeling we have when we encounter something vast or mysterious that stretches the way we understand the world.

That vastness can be physical, like standing beneath a night sky. It can also be emotional or intellectual, like hearing an incredible piece of music, witnessing an act of courage, or learning an idea that changes how we see something.

Awe gives us a break from being at the center of everything. For a moment, our deadlines, worries, and mental loops take up a little less space.

In this guide, we’re going to practice finding awe without waiting for something extraordinary to happen. It may already be around us. We may simply need to slow down long enough to notice it.

Look Again

Nature is one of the most familiar places to experience awe. But we don’t need a mountain summit or a trip to the ocean to find it.

We can notice the sky changing color, sunlight patterns moving across a wall, the shape of a tree, a bird outside the window, or the details of a flower growing beside the sidewalk.

The challenge is that familiar things can become almost invisible. We pass the same tree, look through the same window, and walk the same street without really seeing them.

So today we invite you to try taking an “awe walk.”

An awe walk is simply a walk taken with the intention to notice. You’re not trying to cover a certain distance or solve a problem.

You’re looking for something that surprises you, makes you curious, or reminds you how much is happening beyond your usual train of thought.

Today, try looking at one familiar part of your surroundings as if you’ve never seen it before. Awe often begins when we give ordinary things our full attention.

How to take an Awe Walk

 🌤️ Look Up: Step outside or look through a window and notice what is happening around you.

🌳 See the Familiar Again: Give something ordinary your full attention.

🔎 Follow Your Curiosity: Pause when something makes you want to look a little closer.

Daily Prompt: What detail in your surroundings can you slow down and notice today?

The Best of Us

Some of our most powerful moments of awe come from other people.

In research gathered from people across cultures, the most common source of awe was not nature. It was what Dacher Keltner calls moral beauty: witnessing someone’s courage, kindness, strength, or willingness to help another person.

It might be a stranger stepping in when someone needs help. A caregiver showing patience on a difficult day. A friend facing something hard with honesty.

A coworker quietly making life easier for everyone around them. A member of a neighborhood or community organizing an event for everyone else, asking nothing in return.

These moments affect us because they show us what people are capable of. They can restore some faith in humanity and even influence how we want to show up ourselves.

Today, notice an example of someone doing something good, whether it’s a large act or a small one. If a particular person comes to mind, consider telling them.

Sometimes awe grows when we name what we have witnessed.

Seeing Moral Beauty

 💛 First, Notice It: Look for courage, kindness, generosity, or quiet strength.

🌟 Let Goodness Affect You: Allow someone’s actions to remind you what people are capable of.

🗣️ Name What You See: When someone inspires you, consider letting them know.

Daily Prompt: What act of kindness, courage, or care can you notice today?

Let Yourself Be Moved

Have you ever heard a song that gave you chills? Stood in front of a painting and lost track of time? Felt the energy of an audience singing together at a concert or cheering at a game?

Music, art, and shared experiences can create awe because they take us beyond our usual way of thinking. A few notes, colors, words, or movements can express something we feel but can’t quite explain.

Shared experiences add another layer. Researchers use the phrase collective effervescence for the energy we feel when people move, sing, celebrate, or work together.

We may feel it at a concert, a sporting event, a community gathering, or even while working alongside people who are focused on the same purpose.

We often treat music and art as background noise while we do something else. Today, try giving one song, image, performance, or shared moment your full attention. Let yourself be moved without needing to analyze why.

How to tune into what moves you

🎵 Give It Your Attention: Listen, watch, or look without doing something else at the same time.

🎨 Notice The Signs: Chills, tears, silence, and surprise can all be signs of awe.

🫶 Feel Part of Something: Shared experiences can remind us that we belong to something larger than ourselves.

Daily Prompt: What will you listen to, look at, or experience with your full attention today?

Become an Awe Hunter

So far, we’ve looked for awe in ordinary moments, nature, the goodness of other people, music, art, and shared experiences.

Our goal is not to force ourselves to feel amazed all day. Awe can’t become another item we have to complete correctly, or check off our to-do list. We can, however, become more available to it.

That starts with attention.

Look up from the screen. Take the long way to the mailbox. Listen to a favorite song without multitasking. Notice someone doing something kind. Ask a question you don’t already know how to answer.

Think of yourself as an awe hunter: someone who moves through ordinary life looking for moments that make the world feel a little larger.

Awe doesn’t make our responsibilities disappear. It gives us perspective before we return to them.

Before you close out of this tab, choose one place where you’ll slow down and leave room to be surprised.

How to be an Awe Hunter

 🌱 Stay Open: You can’t schedule awe, but you can make room for it.

✨ Collect Small Wonders: Notice one thing each day that makes you pause or feel curious.

🌎 Return With Perspective: A brief moment of awe can help the concern in front of you feel less consuming.

Daily Prompt: What moment of awe from this week do you want to remember?

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We hope you find some moments of awe in your everyday life this week!

P.S. If you aren't a member of Focused Space, but could use help accomplishing your goals, busting through procrastination, or getting motivated… you are welcome to join us at one of our live guided work sessions, or morning planning sessions!

Take care,

— Scott and the focused space team