Pay attention to whatever fills you with awe...

For some time I just couldn't figure out why this statement intrigued me.

It took me days to see that it was speaking to me, directly and personally.

You see, we are in what many view as a mature, commoditized industry,

That is caught in a mighty storm.

The industry has never quite recovered from the COVID pandemic.

Travel is still muted. And the prevailing economic downturn

Has squeezed out whatever little surpluses families had for leisure and entertainment.

It's one of the most challenging and interesting times to be an entrepreneur.

Challenging, because the path forward is no longer clear or certain.

Interesting, because this same environment will birth the winners of the next decade.

What are the possibilities?

Where are the opportunities?

What are we not seeing?

As I was contemplating this, I realized that my biggest bottleneck is familiarity.

This is what Rick Rubin had to say in The Creative Act

“We tend to take so much for granted. How can we move past disconnection and desensitization to the incredible wonders of nature and human engineering all around us? Most of what we see in the world holds the potential to inspire astonishment if looked at from a less jaded perspective. Train yourself to see the awe behind the obvious. Look at the world from this vantage point as often as possible. Submerge yourself. The beauty around us enriches our lives in so many ways. It is an end in itself. And it sets an example for our own work. We can aim to develop an eye for harmony and balance, as if our creations have always been here, like mountains or feathers.”

I realized that possibility was eluding me because I was conflating it

With what is viable, commercial, productive or efficient,

Rather than what was awe-inspiring. Rick Rubin says it best:

“In terms of priority, inspiration comes first. You come next. The audience comes last.”

I had, unwittingly, put the cart before the horse.

That’s it!

Possibility is in whatever inspires you, whatever takes your breath away,

And it’s a river, flowing ceaselessly before us, waiting for us to notice and grab.

Our one and only responsibility is to pay attention.

Think of the last time you saw something  

That made you reach for your phone to snap a photo.

That’s possibility. And that exactly how it works. We merely need to be attentive.