What does embodying Awe look and feel like?

I was chatting with a dear friend and asked if he had any suggestions for my next 21 day challenge. He wanted to know if I’d heard of Dacher Keltner – a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley who researches and writes about the mental, physical and social benefits of awe.

“The feeling of awe helps us connect to others, helps us share, helps us feel like we are a part of other people. … It is an engine of exploration and discovery, and it opens up our minds and helps us look for things, discover things and see big patterns in life. … A lot of the things we love the most in life that are part of our culture are inspired by awe.”

– Dacher Keltner

“What about having an embodied experience of awe,” my friend asked, “and letting that inspire your next creative sprint?”

 Hmmm. That was good food for thought and so that is what I have been doing – playing with the idea of AWE in daily writing and drawings. 

Awe is the feeling I get in the presence of a question that both expands my view and settles into me like something that has always been with me.

You can see more of my AWE drawings and writings from the 21 Day challenge on Instagram.

What is AWE to you? How does it show up in your life?