We’ve all had WOW! Moments, but they can be quickly forgotten as we get caught up in everyday life. Trying to recall WOWs on command can be challenging. Recently, I was reminded of some of my WOW! Moments and wanted to share some ways you can trigger some memories, too.
Check Facebook. Nearly every time I log onto Facebook, I get a notification that I have a memory to review and share. Recently, I had a few that made me think of past WOW! Moments.
For example, I found a post about a story I had written for the print version of Fast Company. For a brief moment, my article was trending higher than the feature story about Oprah. While that moment quickly passed, I grabbed a screenshot to remember it.
Another WOW! Moment was when my son Chris was named Caddie Rookie of the Year at the country club where he worked. The honor came with a cash prize. He also won a 42-inch TV in a raffle and had his picture taken with Jim Schwartz, then head coach of the Detroit Lions, who was the speaker for the event. Dinner at the caddie banquet was filet—Chris’s favorite. On the way home, he said, “This is the best day of my life.”
I used to skip the memories, but now I look forward to reviewing them to see if a WOW! from the past is waiting to be revisited.
Assemble a WOW! Box. I was searching for an old photo a few weeks ago and found it in a box of mementos that suddenly transported me back in time. There were newspaper clippings from when I was six and crowned first runner-up in the Miss La Petit pageant. I found bags of small clay animals I made and sold as “Steffi’s Stuff” when I was eight. There were science fair ribbons from high school alongside photos from a college Spring Break trip.
The box reminded me of some WOW! Moments I had in the past, although I didn’t realize what they were back then. Sorting through the memories also gave me a glimpse of who I once was. It felt like visiting an old friend I hadn’t seen in years, which can also be a WOW!
WOW! boxes are much more manageable than scrapbooks because they’re not hard to assemble. Find a box and start collecting things. I have a small dish on my desk where I collect coins I find when I’m out. I also have a pretty bowl where I keep the feathers I come across on my walks. I have several large ones, and it’s fun to think about the bird they once belonged to. It’s extra fun for me because my nickname in college was “feather.”
Keep a WOW! Journal. Since I started this blog, I’ve been more mindful about looking for WOWs. It helps to jot them down to write my Friday Weekly Wows roundup. My document has become a WOW! journal. Often, when I go to write my post, I will say, “Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that.”
A WOW! journal can be similar to a gratitude journal. A physical record helps cement the moment so you can enjoy the positive emotions later. WOWs often trigger gratitude. You may be thankful for the moment, the experience, or the surprise. According to research from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, “gratitude practices, like keeping a gratitude journal or writing a letter of gratitude, can increase people’s happiness and overall positive mood.”
What are some of the ways you remember past WOWs?
I have a “Happiness Jar” on my desk. Every time a happy little thing happens, I jot it on a small piece of paper and drop it in the jar. At the end of the year, I unfold all the papers and read about all the small joys and adventures that took place–many of which I’ve forgotten all about. I wrote about creating the jar on my blog: http://www.catchinghappiness.com/2022/01/holding-on-to-happiness-creating.html
I’m really enjoying reading about your Wows–thank you for sharing!
I love this idea, Kathy! Thank you for your comment.
This is such a great post. I’m pretty lazy when it comes to taking a moment to be thankful, and note my WOWs, however, I did start a private instagram page and started saving notes about all my private little pieces of happiness. Facebook memories are so great too! Thank you for the inspiration!