Rediscovering Wonder and Possibilities
by Chuck Wisner, New England
I don’t believe wide-eyed wonder is something we simply leave behind in childhood. Curiosity doesn’t vanish. Our questions don’t just dry up. Life unfolds — and in the process, responsibility takes over. We get buried in deadlines, routines, politics, and bills. Slowly, our sense of awe takes a back seat.
But wonder isn’t childish, and it’s certainly not naïve. I’ve come to see it as essential — a way to lift ourselves out of habitual thinking, out of the mental ruts that keep us stuck. Wonder fuels curiosity. It opens us to new possibilities. And possibility is the antidote to certainty, speed, and resignation.
While walking, I was struck by the vibrant greens of new buds. Each tree offered a different shade, creating a living mosaic that stopped me in my tracks. That too is wonder — not just grand gestures, but quiet moments when we pause, pay attention, and see the world with fresh eyes.
Wonder, to me, isn’t a luxury. It’s an invitation to wake up. To be more fully alive. It helps us reconsider limiting beliefs and stretch toward what might be possible. It’s a spiritual resource that’s always available, even in the most ordinary moments. In a world that often feels upside-down and inside out, wonder might be the medicine we need most.
Igniting Wonder: Acceptance as Fuel
In my work, I describe wonder as the antipode of resignation. If resignation is a refusal to see what might be, wonder is the willingness to see again, to see differently, to look more closely. Wonder is possibility in motion. And in that sense, wonder isn’t just a feeling. It’s a posture. It’s a way of meeting the world that softens our grip on being right and opens us up to being surprised.
Wonder doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. It needs fuel. And that fuel, surprisingly, is acceptance.
Acceptance isn’t about settling for “it is what it is.” It’s not giving in or giving up. It’s about creating space in your mind, heart, and spirit for what’s next to take shape. It’s the mental reset that allows possibility to re-enter the picture.
Non-acceptance, by contrast, is a wet blanket. It shuts down imagination. When we can’t or won’t accept where we are — a job we hate, a painful relationship we’re stuck in, a life detour we didn’t ask for — we start to spiral. We grip tighter. We complain, blame, and resist.
That’s the path to resignation: “This shouldn’t have happened.” “Life isn’t fair” “I deserved that promotion.” In that resigned state, there’s no room for wonder. No space to dream. No emotional availability to imagine something different.
But when we accept a situation, even if we don’t like it, we stop wasting energy trying to wish it away. We stop fighting reality. We shift our attention from what’s wrong to what’s possible. Acceptance grounds us in reality while opening the door to curiosity. And that’s when wonder can spark. It’s not surrender. It’s honest acknowledgment. And from that place, wonder can do what it does best: wake us up, lift us out, and point us toward a new tomorrow.
Wonder isn’ Naïve — It’s How We Discover
We often associate wonder with childhood — those early years when everything is new and questions flow faster than answers. But wonder isn’t something we outgrow. If anything, the wisest minds find a way to grow back into it.
Baudelaire called genius “nothing more nor less than childhood recovered at will.” Einstein insisted that imagination was more important than knowledge. And Newton, reflecting on his life’s work, described himself as a boy playing on the seashore, occasionally finding a prettier shell while the vast ocean of truth lay undiscovered before him. These were not sentimental people. They were brilliant, disciplined thinkers who stayed open to the unknown. Their curiosity wasn’t a phase. It was a way of life.
That same mindset is available to us, no matter our age or profession. We may not be splitting atoms or writing symphonies, but we’re all navigating complexity — in relationships, at work, and in the world around us. When we meet that complexity with wonder, we begin to notice what we otherwise miss.
Wonder shifts the question from “What’s the answer?” to “What’s possible?” It doesn’t require certainty or control. It simply invites us to keep looking — and that shift in posture can open unexpected doors.
The Spiritual Companion: Hope
If resignation breeds despair, wonder is what makes space for hope. Hope often gets misunderstood. It’s not blind optimism or pretending everything will work out. It’s not a mood. It’s a decision. A commitment to possibility, even in the face of uncertainty or loss.
As the Almanac of Birds says so plainly: Hope is a motion of the heart, not a feeling or idea but a choice... a choice not to suffer the shortness of sight that is despair. That line stops me every time. “Shortness of sight.” Because that’s exactly what resignation is — a narrowing; a collapse of imagination; a refusal to believe that something new might still be possible.
Hope asks more of us. It asks us to keep looking. To stay open. To risk disappointment in the service of something better. Samuel Beckett, in his dry and honest way, once said, “Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” It’s a strange kind of encouragement, but I’ve come to see the wisdom in it. When we choose wonder, we create emotional space. And in that space, we can try again — not with forced cheer, but with courage and humility. Wonder and hope are companions. One wakes us up. The other moves us forward.
Practices to Cultivate Wonder
Wonder may seem spontaneous, but we can make room for it. Like anything new we are learning, it takes practice. Here are a few simple ways to invite wonder into your daily life:
1. Pause and Notice
Wonder doesn’t compete well with speed. Slow down — just for a moment. Look up. Step outside. Listen. Watch how light hits a wall or how a bird moves across the sky. The smallest details can become invitations if we’re willing to notice them.
2. Ask “What else might be true?”
I’ve worked with multiple clients who were resigned with their unsatisfactory job or boss. It wasn’t until they expanded their vision outside the virtual four walls of their current employer that they could see a wider field of possibilities. When you feel stuck in frustration or judgment, step back. Instead of tightening around your view, loosen it. Ask what else might be happening. What haven’t I seen yet? Wonder grows in the space between certainty and curiosity.
3. Be a Beginner
Do something you’re not good at. Take a walk without a destination. Read a poem you don’t understand. Let go of knowing. Beginners are tuned in because they’re paying attention — and that’s the mindset wonder thrives in. This is also a great way to keep our brains young and humming.
4. Make Something for No Reason
Paint. Scribble. Go into the garden or on a walk with no plan. Let wonder guide your actions. Play with language. You don’t need a goal. Wonder loves creativity that doesn’t demand an outcome.
5. Borrow Someone Else’s Eyes
Talk to a child, a friend, a stranger. Ask them what they’ve been noticing. Let someone else’s sense of awe wake up yours. We don’t have to generate wonder alone. Sometimes we just need to be reminded.
These aren’t tasks to check off. They’re invitations — gentle nudges back to what we already know: that the world always offers itself to us unexpectedly. We just have to be open and ready to receive the messages.
Chuck Wisner has spent thirty years as a trusted advisor, coach, and teacher in communication, human dynamics, and leadership excellence. He has worked with leaders and their teams in Fortune 200 companies. He also trained in mediation and worked as a senior mediator affiliated with the Harvard Mediation Program at the Harvard Law School, and later, associated with MIT’s Center for Organizational Learning. His book, The Art of Conscious Conversations – Transforming How We Talk, Listen, and Interact (BK Publishers, Oct. 22, 2022), explores how to heighten our awareness and become more conscious in our conversations. Learn more at chuckwisner.com.
