Daily Surprises

Every day starts the same—you wake up. From there, the repetition or deviation from any normal schedule and routine is undetermined. People follow routines because they make the next step in your day easier and automatic. Routines are helpful but doing the same thing every day is not what humans are programmed to do. Humans aren’t cattle grazing in a pasture. Unlike cattle and other animals, our days have to be filled with activities aside from eating, sleeping, and defecting for us to be fulfilled. Instead of allowing yourself to always do the same thing every day, try to be surprised by something every day.

The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explained this idea by saying, “Try to be surprised by something every day. It could be something you see, hear, or read about. Stop to look at the unusual car parked at the curb, taste the new item on the cafeteria menu, actually listen to your colleague at the office. How is this different from other similar cars, dishes, or conversations? What is its essence? Don't assume that you already know what these things are all about, or that even if you knew them, they wouldn't matter anyway. Experience this one thing for what it is, not what you think it is. Be open to what the world is telling you. Life is nothing more than a stream of experiences — the more widely and deeply you swim in it, the richer your life will be.”

The surprises matter because they open your mind up to curiosity and the experience of thinking differently. When you see something you don’t recognize, or something different, and allow yourself to realize this difference, you naturally pause to ask yourself questions and to think more deeply. The surprises take you out of your daily routine. The surprises become the highlight of your day when you reflect upon what you have done. Instead of just being a normal day, you remember seeing the minivan with racing stripes painted on it, you learned you like horseradish on your sandwich and found you have a common interest with your work colleague. Surprises are surprises in the moment but highlights in the afterthought.

Finding a surprise daily gives you a purpose for not accepting a constant repetition of your days. It becomes a daily goal that fosters excitement in the chase, learning, and curiosity for when the surprise is finally found. Daily surprises are everywhere and anywhere, you just need to look. Find something new in your day. Find a surprise.