Three Tricks to Make the World More Interesting
Have you lost your childlike wonder? Here’s how you can regain it.
We live in a world where endless content is the norm, be it on social media, streaming platforms, or the gossip around us. Indeed, the world is moving faster, and sometimes you may stop and think about how the old “magic” of life has simply just gone away.
That is what this short essay is for. I am going to share with you three tricks that elevate your perspective on life, and make the dull and mundane moments in life feel as if it was the first time you are experiencing them. Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those “go meditate” or “affirm yourself in a mirror” type chic blogs, the tips here are actually very practical.
Tip Number 1: Use the Grayscale Filter on Your Phone
This is something I have discovered very recently. A large factor in why the world seems so disinteresting in an age of endless content is due to the overstimulation brought up by our smartphones. When you keep staring at dopamine-inducing videos and photos with bright colors on a tiny screen, the entire colorful world around you seems less interesting by comparison.
Try turning on the grayscale filter on your phone, which can usually be found in Accessibility settings. You will dread it at first, but in a week or so, you will notice your screen time go down. Less bright colors such as blues or reds will make you crave phone use even less (and at times even start to hate it). You may notice yourself no longer using phones at the table, and being more immersed in the world around you. Sometimes the boring morning commute to work will feel a little bit “different” than before, and everything feels as if it was summer vacation. Why stare at a tiny gray rectangle when there is world of color around you?
Tip Number 2: Listen to the Radio More
Ever since IPods (or even the WalkMan, for that matter), the average music consumer became increasingly used to DJ-ing for themselves. Nowadays, most people do their own music discovery via the very streaming platforms they use — letting algorithms dictate the type of music they are exposed to. If for instance, you always listen to Soft Rock, your recommended music feed would never really deviate from Soft Rock and related genres such as alternative or Adult contemporary. This limits your ability to discover new and exciting genres that also resonate with your taste.
When was the last time you listened to the radio? When was the last time you allowed a DJ, whether on air or in a club, to take you on a musical journey, and expose you to new genres or music?
Remember when you were much younger, and you heard your favorite song play on the radio? You didn’t click play, nor queued it; it just so happened to be a wonderful coincidence that the DJ played it for you. This is the magical feeling we should seek to find whenever we listen to music. Try listening to radio stations that align with your tastes, try to let go of control, and let someone else take you on a journey — it is incredibly rewarding when you do.
Tip Number 3: Treat Life Like You’re on Vacation
This is a beautiful piece of advice I have learned from Andy Puddicombe, a British Buddhist monk who also founded Headspace, the popular meditation app. I tried this myself for a year — getting myself in the vibe be saying a simple phrase to myself in the mirror each day: “what if today, it’s summer vacation.”
This may seem small but over time, treating the world as if it was summer vacation adds a touch of lightness to how you approach life. You may find that, instead of acting defensively or dreading the daily grind, you start shifting from a “I have to do this” perspective to a “I GET to do this” mindset. You may also find yourself seeking fun in the most unusual places:
- Taking a different path on the walk home
- Trying new modes of transport
- Impromptu interactions and meaningful conversations with strangers.
Ending Notes
Definitely try out these pieces advice for yourself. In pursuit of a life filled with more wonder and magic, sometimes less is more. You may not need to enroll in an expensive class, or take those personal development classes; a lot of times, it’s the small things that add up.
