Let’s go on with the challenge, ready for day three! I was tagged earlier this week by my friend @mrprofessor. It’s about a challenge where I need to talk about seven things that we are grateful for. One per day of the week. Today will be my third day.
Today no external projects I’m linking to. Just a post about something that happened to me today that made me smile. First the thing I hoped for yesterday well it worked out today I could go out for a SUP session. And I already posted it was a great session, and I had an encounter with a dolphin. Really cool but totally unexpected. That’s the thing I would like to be grateful for today, to be specific the element of surprise.
Unexpected encounter
I know there are small dolphins around here, but during a sup session sometimes I cross some sea lions sunbathing, but dolphins stay special. So that’s the reason I was surprised by seeing it. This time it was a positive feeling, but a surprise can be negative as well. But your body/mind reacts on it in a certain way. But delightful surprises like I had today, can make your whole day.
Source: Pexels
Element of surprise
And being surprised isn’t that something that people really need? It brings vitality to people their lives. And the element can get you anywhere, being at work, at home, in a relationship. In a certain way it actually provides a path for living the life being more engaged and wonder more often.
Young children and then I mean really young like baby children. Those children have a lot of things they do, react, experience, etc. for the first time. Every time they do things they do something new. It makes them wonder what more there is, so they will try other things. But the older you get this element gets away from you. Everything will become more common. Your everyday job, same friends, same house anything. While becoming older you forget how it feels to be surprised, the feeling isn’t normal anymore…
Source: Pexels
Importance
Why is surprise so important? Well today while seeing the dolphin it does something with me. I think a chemical reaction in the brain. Need to do research about it. But I experienced that my instinct for being focused levelled up. Same like, my happiness meter. Is this doing something to our brains? I think it does.
When I think about it, I think people can react in multiple ways on the element of surprise.
- They freeze (stop your current action)
- They find (you get hooked and want to research more about it, trying to understand things)
- They shift (Your perspective is changing at how you look at things)
- They share (Share your experience with other, I do it now so they can feel what you experienced)
Can we encourage more surprises in our lives? Can we arrange it in either way that we got surprised more often? Thinking about it, I can think of a few things to experience this feeling more often.
- Be more vulnerable (share more personal information, like embarrassing moment, that you wouldn’t share normally)
- Engage in activities you normally wouldn’t attend to because you don’t know how things will turn out. And this can be anything, ask for a salary raise, or aks a complete stranger how he’s doing
- Start with taking smaller risks, to work towards the bigger ones. Because you want the element of surprise being a fun one. Allthough there can be negative surprises as well.
- Mix things up in your routine. You take the bus every day, switch to the train for example.
Negative feelings
Of course, every positive side has an opposite negative side. And negative surprises well I think they’re more challenging. When you have a car eaccident, that is a surprise that isn’t a pleasant form of change in your life. But do we need to avoid negative surprises? Even those are a natural part of life. Maybe it is better to cope with these surprises then trying to resist them. Even a negative surprise I think you can turn in a more positive way.
When people avoid surprises, they won’t get better in doing certain things. As long as we fear surprises we will be vulnerable. As a reaction to that we will play things safe and stop exploring new things. Is that what we want? Think not! Go out and surprise yourself, I can recommend it.
My best element of surprise
My best element of surprise was the day that I got 30 years old. IT's a tradition here when you are still single at that age, they will bring you around the village searching for a girl. In dutch they will bring you the key for the so called osseweide. (click on the image for the movie)
I was tagged by @mrprofessor to:
Write a post about something you have to be positive about today - this could be anything from being thankful for your current situation, someone being nice to you, being thankful for your friends and family, or even being thankful for the opportunity you have been given here on Steemit - just keep it positive :)
• Do this for 7 days in a row if you get nominated.
• Mention three people who should do this on each day.
• Tag it with #7daypositivitychallenge and include these rules at the bottom of your post Include a picture of something positive (related to your story if possible.)
• Tip: You need to put the # in front of 7daypositivitychallenge or it will not let you use the tag.
I would like to tag my friends @trexxie, @punditop and @hetty-rowan whom I believe would write some beautiful texts - please don't feel obligated, but you've been tagged!
Source: Pexels