23:I[56264,["/_next/static/chunks/0h2qsuyze9ds1.js","/_next/static/chunks/1ymt1shyhmu-4.js","/_next/static/chunks/291ciwmgtp_xc.js","/_next/static/chunks/2owa30hnifmhr.js","/_next/static/chunks/163q3gjfx0z2c.js","/_next/static/chunks/21h5qhhcg7tzz.js","/_next/static/chunks/2k8qerqh8och5.js","/_next/static/chunks/03wn0-bzh3abk.js","/_next/static/chunks/04cl34c8iaaoc.js"],"GuestHistoryRecorder"] 24:I[3004,["/_next/static/chunks/0h2qsuyze9ds1.js","/_next/static/chunks/1ymt1shyhmu-4.js","/_next/static/chunks/291ciwmgtp_xc.js","/_next/static/chunks/2owa30hnifmhr.js","/_next/static/chunks/163q3gjfx0z2c.js","/_next/static/chunks/21h5qhhcg7tzz.js","/_next/static/chunks/2k8qerqh8och5.js","/_next/static/chunks/03wn0-bzh3abk.js","/_next/static/chunks/04cl34c8iaaoc.js"],"EmailPreview"] 27:I[27201,["/_next/static/chunks/0h2qsuyze9ds1.js","/_next/static/chunks/1ymt1shyhmu-4.js","/_next/static/chunks/291ciwmgtp_xc.js","/_next/static/chunks/2owa30hnifmhr.js"],"IconMark"] 25:T12edd,

ISSUE 167

More Awe, Less Autopilot

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
Rachel Carson

Hi dear friend! There is something strangely comforting about feeling small. And I don’t mean it in an insignificant-small way. More like watching a beautiful sunset paint the whole town pink and orange and feeling, for a moment, like time has stopped just so you can witness it. Or standing in front of the ocean when the waves are enormous and remembering that the world is much bigger than whatever has been occupying your mind. Or lying on the grass in your favorite park, looking at a sky that seems to go on forever, and noticing yourself exhaling with more calmness and ease. There is a name for that feeling: awe. And awe’s little magic trick is that it makes you feel smaller while somehow making your life feel bigger.

This week, I want to share how to find more of it in the life you already have. Spoiler alert: you don’t need to book anything :)

Until next Monday, 
Veronica Joce,
Senior Editor at Intelligent Change

Ideas for Reflection

What is awe?

Psychologists describe awe as having two ingredients:

vastness – encountering something that feels bigger than your usual frame of reference, and
a need for accommodation, when your mind has to stretch and rearrange itself to make sense of what it is experiencing, because it no longer fits neatly into the “seen it, know it, moving on” category.

And “vast” does not have to mean physically enormous. It can be a star-filled night sky that makes you feel microscopic. A piece of music that covers your skin with goosebumps and does something inexplicable to your chest. Watching somebody perform at a level you can barely comprehend. A child saying something that suddenly reminds you they are becoming their own person. Or an act of kindness so brave and genuine that it restores your faith in humanity.

And it may even change the way you experience time. In a series of experiments, people who felt a sense of wonder reported feeling as though they had more time available. They felt less impatient and more willing to give their time to others. This creates a wonderful paradox – we keep trying to create more time by saving ten minutes here and automating thirty minutes there, yet awe approaches it differently: it changes how abundant time feels.

And the best part? Contrary to what you see on social media, you don’t need an extraordinary life to experience more awe. But you do need to become a little better at noticing what is already extraordinary about the life you have. Because the obstacle to awe is not usually a lack of beautiful things, but familiarity.

You have seen that lake hundreds of times. You know your partner’s face. Your favorite song becomes background noise over time. You walk the same route looking at your phone. And when life gets busy, you become even more efficient, operating in “get there, reply, finish, move on” terms. So seeking wonder actually starts before wonder itself, with becoming curious.

Getting Things Done

How to find more wonder

Look up
I mean it literally. Buildings, clouds, tree crowns, the moon, even ceilings. Let’s admit that most of adult life happens at eye level or a couple of inches below it.
Zoom in
Notice the spiral of a seashell, the geometry of a flower. Count the circles of a tree trunk. Look at the patterns on a butterfly’s wings. Wonder lives in the tiniest of details.
Get curious about someone’s passion
Ask someone who loves something to explain why they love it. Let a friend tell you why one photograph is exceptional. Ask a gardener what they notice in August. Let a six-year-old explain dinosaurs with alarming confidence. Enthusiasm is contagious.
Witness human greatness
A dancer. A doctor. A pianist. An athlete. A chef. A ceramicist. A parent. Someone being extraordinarily brave or kind... There is awe in seeing what human beings are capable of.
Go somewhere you can feel small
The sea. A forest. An old cathedral. A mountain. A stadium full of people singing the same song. Somewhere your life briefly stops being the largest thing in the room.
Follow a curiosity detour
Read about the building you pass every day. Find out how something you use was made. Look up who planted the first tree in your favorite garden. Awe often begins with “Wait, how does that work?”
Let someone you love surprise you
Familiarity is not the same as fully knowing someone. Your partner contains the whole universe of thoughts you have never heard. Your parents had whole lives before you arrived. Your child is changing while you watch. Even someone you have known for years can say something that makes you think “Oh wow, I had no idea.”

Mindful Conversation

Ask Veronica Anything

Last week, you asked me:

How do you keep your mind positive?

In full honesty, I don’t think you can keep your mind positive all the time. You can’t force it (because nothing lasting comes from force), fake it until you make it, or talk yourself into calling something beautiful when it is painful. Some things hurt. Grief hurts. Bad news hurts. There are moments when looking on the bright side is the last thing you need. What you can practise instead is not letting your mind become exclusively negative. Something painful can be true without becoming the only truth available to you.

The hard thing happened. But, hey, the sunset is still beautiful. Someone you love can still make you smile. A song can still give you goosebumps or make you dance. There can still be kindness, possibility, a really good cup of coffee, your favorite comfort food, or one small thing to look forward to tomorrow. For me, a positive mindset is less about finding a silver lining in everything and more about keeping my perspective wide enough to notice that pain and beauty can exist at the same time.

Let’s keep talking. Leave your question here

In The Spotlight

The Practice of Looking Again

You’ve probably seen the Five Minute Journal before. I am pretty sure you have. Maybe you’ve used one, loved it, fallen out of the habit, and started again. Maybe it lives on your bedside table. Maybe you are tired of us talking about it. Fair. But there is a reason it has stayed around: the practice works when you actually practise it.

Writing down what you are grateful for can feel almost too easy when life is going well, and surprisingly difficult when it isn’t. On those days, the journal is not asking you to pretend everything is wonderful, but to look again. At the morning light, a friend who checked in, a favorite t-shirt you reached for when you needed comfort, the song you played on repeat, or the smell of rain. Stick with it. Be honest with it. Let your answers be tiny. The Five Minute Journal trains your attention to keep noticing what is still good, especially when your mind would rather look somewhere else. And sometimes, that is where awe begins.

Make room for awe →

Enjoyed this newsletter? Send it to a friend.

Was Intelligent Weekly forwarded to you from a friend? If so, you can sign up for more here.

Live a full life. Leave a small footprint. Sustainable routines begin with sustainable practices. We use only natural, recycled, and biodegradable materials and are committed to donating a portion of our profits, products, and time to causes around the world.

No longer want to receive these emails? Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences

Intelligent Change
8 The Green, STE 400 Dover De 19901, United States

Five Minute Journal App Google Play Android

26:T2ad1,[SHOP](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections) [NEW ARRIVALS](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/new) [READ](https://www.intelligentchange.com/blogs/read) ISSUE 167 More Awe, Less Autopilot Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength tha= t will endure as long as life lasts. Rachel Carson Hi dear friend! There is something strangely comforting about feeling small= . And I don=E2=80=99t mean it in an insignificant-small way. More like watc= hing a beautiful sunset paint the whole town pink and orange and feeling, f= or a moment, like time has stopped just so you can [witness it.](https://ww= w.intelligentchange.com/products/the-five-minute-journal-pink) Or standing = in front of the ocean when the waves are enormous and remembering that the = world is much bigger than whatever has been=C2=A0[occupying your mind.](htt= ps://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/bundles/products/stoic-bundle) O= r lying on the grass in your favorite park, looking at a sky that seems to = go on forever, and noticing yourself [exhaling with more calmness and ease.= ](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/mindful-affirmations/produc= ts/chakra-affirmations) There is a name for that feeling: awe. And awe=E2= =80=99s little magic trick is that it makes you feel smaller while somehow = making your life feel bigger. This week, I want to share how to find more of it in [the life you already = have.](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/bundles/products/grate= ful-mind-bundle) Spoiler alert: you don=E2=80=99t need to book anything :) Until next Monday,=E2=80=A8 Veronica Joce, Senior Editor at Intelligent Change Ideas for Reflection What is awe? Psychologists describe awe as having two ingredients: - vastness =E2=80=93=C2=A0encountering something that feels bigger than your = usual frame of reference, and - a need for accommodation, when your mind has to stretch and rearrange itsel= f to make sense of what it is experiencing, because it no longer fits neatl= y into the =E2=80=9Cseen it, know it, moving on=E2=80=9D category. And =E2=80=9Cvast=E2=80=9D does not have to mean physically enormous. It ca= n be a star-filled night sky that makes you feel microscopic. A piece of mu= sic that covers your skin with goosebumps and does something inexplicable t= o your chest. Watching somebody perform at a level you can barely comprehen= d. A child saying something that suddenly reminds you they are becoming the= ir own person. Or an act of kindness so brave and genuine that it restores = your faith in humanity.=E2=80=8BAnd it may even change the way you experien= ce time. In a series of [experiments](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/= 10.1177/0956797612438731?), people who felt a sense of wonder reported feel= ing as though they had more time available. They felt less impatient and mo= re willing to give their time to others. This creates a wonderful paradox = =E2=80=93 we keep trying to create more time by saving ten minutes here and= automating thirty minutes there, yet awe approaches it differently: it cha= nges [how abundant time feels](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collection= s/productivity/products/productivity-planner).=E2=80=8BAnd the best part? C= ontrary to what you see on social media, you don=E2=80=99t need an extraord= inary life to experience more awe. But you do need to become a little bette= r at [noticing what is already extraordinary](https://www.intelligentchange= .com/collections/journals/products/the-five-minute-journal) about the life = you have. Because the obstacle to awe is not usually a lack of beautiful th= ings, but familiarity.=E2=80=8BYou have seen that lake hundreds of times. Y= ou know your partner=E2=80=99s face. Your favorite song becomes background = noise over time. You walk the same route looking at your phone. And when li= fe gets busy, you become even more efficient, operating in =E2=80=9Cget the= re, reply, finish, move on=E2=80=9D terms. So seeking wonder actually start= s before wonder itself, with [becoming curious.](https://www.intelligentcha= nge.com/collections/journals/products/3xhappierjournal) Getting Things Done How to find more wonder - Look upI mean it literally. Buildings, clouds, tree crowns, the moon, even = ceilings. Let=E2=80=99s admit that most of adult life happens at eye level = or a couple of inches below it. - Zoom in Notice the spiral of a seashell, the geometry of a flower. Count the circle= s of a tree trunk. Look at the patterns on a butterfly=E2=80=99s wings. Won= der lives in the tiniest of details.=C2=A0 - Get curious about someone=E2=80=99s passionAsk someone who loves something = to explain why they love it. Let a friend tell you why one photograph is ex= ceptional. Ask a gardener what they notice in August. Let a six-year-old ex= plain dinosaurs with alarming confidence. Enthusiasm is contagious. - Witness human greatness A dancer. A doctor. A pianist. An athlete. A chef. A ceramicist. A parent. = Someone being extraordinarily brave or kind... There is awe in seeing what = human beings are capable of. - Go somewhere you can feel smallThe sea. A forest. An old cathedral. A mount= ain. A stadium full of people singing the same song. Somewhere your life br= iefly stops being the largest thing in the room. - Follow a curiosity detour Read about the building you pass every day. Find out how something you use = was made. Look up who planted the first tree in your favorite garden. Awe o= ften begins with =E2=80=9CWait, how does that work?=E2=80=9D - Let someone you love surprise youFamiliarity is not the same as fully knowi= ng someone. [Your partner](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/pl= ay/products/get-closer-couples-edition) contains the whole universe of thou= ghts you have never heard. [Your parents](https://www.intelligentchange.com= /collections/play/products/get-closer-family-edition) had whole lives befor= e you arrived. [Your child](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/p= lay/products/mindful-memory-game) is changing while you watch. Even [someon= e you have known for years](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/p= lay/products/get-closer) can say something that makes you think =E2=80=9COh= wow, I had no idea.=E2=80=9D Mindful Conversation Ask Veronica Anything Last week, you asked me:=C2=A0How do you keep your mind positive?=E2=80=8BI= n full honesty, I don=E2=80=99t think you can keep your mind positive all t= he time. You can=E2=80=99t force it (because nothing lasting comes from for= ce), fake it until you make it, or talk yourself into calling something bea= utiful when it is painful. [Some things hurt.](https://www.intelligentchang= e.com/collections/journals/products/the-stoic-journal) Grief hurts. Bad new= s hurts. There are moments when looking on the bright side is the last thin= g you need. What you can practise instead is [not letting your mind become = exclusively negative.](https://www.intelligentchange.com/pages/case-kenny) = Something painful can be true without becoming the only truth available to = you.=E2=80=8BThe hard thing happened. But, hey, the sunset is still beautif= ul. Someone you love can still make you smile. A song can still give you go= osebumps or make you dance. There can still be kindness, possibility, a rea= lly good cup of coffee, your favorite comfort food, or one small thing to l= ook forward to tomorrow. For me, a positive mindset is less about finding a= silver lining in everything and more about keeping my perspective wide eno= ugh to notice that [pain and beauty can exist at the same time.](https://ww= w.intelligentchange.com/collections/mindful-affirmations/products/stoic-quo= te-cards) [Let=E2=80=99s keep talking. Leave your question here](https://intelligentc= hange.typeform.com/ask-veronica) In The Spotlight The Practice of Looking Again You=E2=80=99ve probably seen the [Five Minute Journal](https://www.intellig= entchange.com/collections/journals/products/the-five-minute-journal)=C2=A0b= efore. I am pretty sure you have. Maybe you=E2=80=99ve used one, loved it, = fallen out of the habit, and started again. Maybe it lives on your bedside = table. Maybe you are tired of us talking about it. Fair. But there is a rea= son it has stayed around: the practice works when you actually practise it.= =E2=80=8BWriting down what you are grateful for can feel almost too easy wh= en life is going well, and surprisingly difficult when it isn=E2=80=99t. On= those days, the journal is not asking you to pretend everything is wonderf= ul, but to=C2=A0=E2=80=8B[look again.](https://www.intelligentchange.com/co= llections/mindful-affirmations/products/gratitude-reminders) At the morning= light, a friend who checked in, a favorite t-shirt you reached for when yo= u needed comfort, the song you played on repeat, or the smell of rain.=C2= =A0Stick with it. Be honest with it. Let your answers be tiny. The Five Min= ute Journal trains your attention to keep noticing what is still good, espe= cially when your mind would rather look somewhere else. And sometimes, that= is where awe begins. [Make room for awe =E2=86=92](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections= /journals/products/the-five-minute-journal) https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections Enjoyed this newsletter? Send it to a friend. Was Intelligent Weekly forwarded to you from a friend? If so, you can [sign= up for more here.](https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/subscribe?= a=3DnFEe3R&g=3DVU8Fit) Live a full life. Leave a small footprint. Sustainable routines begin with = sustainable practices. We use only natural, recycled, and biodegradable mat= erials and are committed to donating a portion of our profits, products, an= d time to causes around the world.=C2=A0 No longer want to receive these emails? [Unsubscribe](https://manage.kmail-= lists.com/subscriptions/unsubscribe?a=3DnFEe3R&c=3D01KZ99X65ARHRBGY8RV0KV96= P2&k=3D1812e5855e552d6853aed33342fc29dd&se=3Dintelligentchange%40mailspo.co= m&m=3D01KZX8MFYDWJN7XM82NA40BXPY&r=3D01M06MJKGPAVCJZXT6NNDQJX6J) or [Manage= Preferences](https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/update?a=3DnFEe3= R&c=3D01KZ99X65ARHRBGY8RV0KV96P2&k=3D1812e5855e552d6853aed33342fc29dd&se=3D= intelligentchange%40mailspo.com&m=3D01KZX8MFYDWJN7XM82NA40BXPY&r=3D01M06MJK= GPAVCJZXT6NNDQJX6J) Intelligent Change 8 The Green, STE 400 Dover De 19901, United States [Five Minute Journal App Store](https://apps.apple.com/in/developer/intelli= gent-change-llc/id1556875886) [Five Minute Journal App Google Play Android](https://play.google.com/store= /apps/developer?id=3DIntelligent+Change+LLC&pli=3D1) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com) [Tiktok](https://www.tiktok.com/@intelligentchange?lang=3Den) [Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/intelligentchange/) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/intelligentchange) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@intelligentchange) 1f:["$","article",null,{"className":"min-w-0 flex-1 overflow-hidden","aria-label":"Issue #167: More Awe, Less Autopilot","children":[["$","$L23",null,{"emailId":"63ee878b-3c8f-4be4-9d07-def556987292"}],["$","$L24",null,{"email":{"id":"63ee878b-3c8f-4be4-9d07-def556987292","subject":"Issue #167: More Awe, Less Autopilot","previewText":"[SHOP](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections)\n[NEW ARRIVALS](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/new)\n[READ](https://www.intelligentchange.com/blogs/read)\n\nISSUE 167\n\nMore Awe, Less Autopilot\n\nThose who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength tha=\nt will endur","sentAt":"2026-08-17T01:30:02.000Z","classification":"marketing","imageCount":13,"thumbnailUrl":"https://mailspo-ingest.imraan-243.workers.dev/img/inbound/img/75d9184c9a6ede690d978614458d5cc81401d3c47c2ba2a8a4a48c6af46309b7","emailType":"product_launch","typeConfidence":"guess","typeBasis":"matched the body copy","brand":"$6:props:children:props:children:2:props:brands:408","bodyHtml":"$25","textBody":"$26","bodyFallback":null}}]]}] a:null f:[["$","title","0",{"children":"Issue #167: More Awe, Less Autopilot by Intelligent Change | Mailspo"}],["$","meta","1",{"name":"description","content":"[SHOP](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections)\n[NEW ARRIVALS](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/new)\n[READ](https://www.intelligentchange.com"}],["$","meta","2",{"name":"robots","content":"index, follow"}],["$","link","3",{"rel":"canonical","href":"https://mailspo.com/emails/63ee878b-3c8f-4be4-9d07-def556987292"}],["$","meta","4",{"property":"og:title","content":"Issue #167: More Awe, Less Autopilot by Intelligent Change | Mailspo"}],["$","meta","5",{"property":"og:description","content":"[SHOP](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections)\n[NEW ARRIVALS](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/new)\n[READ](https://www.intelligentchange.com"}],["$","meta","6",{"property":"og:url","content":"https://mailspo.com/emails/63ee878b-3c8f-4be4-9d07-def556987292"}],["$","meta","7",{"property":"og:site_name","content":"Mailspo"}],["$","meta","8",{"property":"og:image","content":"https://mailspo-ingest.imraan-243.workers.dev/img/inbound/img/75d9184c9a6ede690d978614458d5cc81401d3c47c2ba2a8a4a48c6af46309b7"}],["$","meta","9",{"property":"og:image:alt","content":"Intelligent Change email creative: Issue #167: More Awe, Less Autopilot"}],["$","meta","10",{"property":"og:type","content":"article"}],["$","meta","11",{"property":"article:published_time","content":"2026-08-17T01:30:02.000Z"}],["$","meta","12",{"name":"twitter:card","content":"summary_large_image"}],["$","meta","13",{"name":"twitter:title","content":"Issue #167: More Awe, Less Autopilot by Intelligent Change | Mailspo"}],["$","meta","14",{"name":"twitter:description","content":"[SHOP](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections)\n[NEW ARRIVALS](https://www.intelligentchange.com/collections/new)\n[READ](https://www.intelligentchange.com"}],["$","meta","15",{"name":"twitter:image","content":"https://mailspo-ingest.imraan-243.workers.dev/img/inbound/img/75d9184c9a6ede690d978614458d5cc81401d3c47c2ba2a8a4a48c6af46309b7"}],["$","meta","16",{"name":"twitter:image:alt","content":"Intelligent Change email creative: Issue #167: More Awe, Less Autopilot"}],["$","link","17",{"rel":"icon","href":"/favicon.ico?favicon.2vob68tjqpejf.ico","sizes":"256x256","type":"image/x-icon"}],["$","$L27","18",{}]]

Search Mailspo