By Linda Fisher Thornton
This holiday season I wish you wonder – the joyful, expectant mindset that comes with not knowing how things will turn out, but thinking they’re going to be good.
I don’t mean the ordinary type of wonder, such as wondering what you’ll have for dinner. I’m talking about the magical kind of wonder. This type of wonder refreshes our hopefulness, and keeps us open-minded and expectant. It is positive and exciting.
What happens when we lead with a sense of wonder? We are open to new experiences, and we tend to look for the best in others and in the world. A sense of wonder keeps us curious and helps us understand things in new ways.
Here are some interesting perspectives on wonder, from some folks you may have heard of:
“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.”
——Neil Armstrong
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“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”
——Albert Einstein
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“Wisdom begins in wonder.”
——Socrates
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“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”
——-e. e. cummings
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“Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science.”
——-Ralph Waldo Emerson
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“Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.”
——-Robert Fulghum
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“Without wonder and insight, acting is just a trade. With it, it becomes creation.”
——-Bette Davis
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“Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder.”
——–Thomas Aquinas
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“From wonder into wonder existence opens.”
——–Lao Tzu
Leaders, this holiday season, enjoy the delight of not having all the answers. Remember to look for the magic and keep your sense of wonder.
Happy Holidays to All!
*Vote for your 10 favorite CSR thought leaders at Global CEO’s Top 100 CSR Leaders (Linda Fisher Thornton is #32).
For more, see Linda’s book 7 Lenses and the 21 Question Assessment: How Current is My Message About Ethics?
2014 Axiom Business Book Award Winner
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Thank you for your kind words, Dennis. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to work with you this year. Your commitment to teaching ethics is an inspiration. Merry Christmas! Linda
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Dear Linda: Lately I have making friends that seem to have been put in place at this time of my life for a reason. I read you comments this morning as I get ready for my day with a cup of coffee and confirmed again that you are truly a gift in your view. At my late age, I am still in a sense of wonder just about everything I see and do with my gallery. Thanks again for coming into my life. Again I hope you and your family have a safe, happy and joyous Christmas. Warmest
Dennis Brining
“We will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence”-Vince Lombardi
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