The Day a Leaf Taught Me About Awe

I used to think awe was reserved for the “big stuff.” The Northern Lights. The Eiffel Tower. Those cinematic, once-in-a-lifetime moments that feel rare and luxurious. But lately, I’ve realized awe can be something that’s sitting right under our noses, just waiting for us to slow down long enough to notice it.

I was reminded of this recently while reading about awe and its impact on the brain. Something in the text sparked an awe-filled memory I hadn't visited in decades. When suddenly, I was right back in the backyard of my old house thirty years ago, sitting on a blanket with my eight-month-old son.

He was playing with his favorite toy when a single leaf drifted down from the tree above and landed in his lap. Instantly, he dropped the toy he’d been gripping in his chubby little hand and picked up the leaf instead. He spun it by the stem, completely mesmerized. He focused on that tiny leaf for 10 solid minutes, as if it were the coolest thing he’d ever seen.

I remember watching him and thinking, It’s just a leaf. There’s nothing special about it.

But then I picked up a leaf of my own and spun it between my fingers. I noticed things I’d never seen before. The thick veins that thinned into faint lines. The way the color shifted from deep green to a soft golden hue. For a moment, everything in me slowed down. I felt calm, peaceful, and joyful. I was fully present, seeing something I’d seen a thousand times in a different way.

That was awe in its purest form.

Since it’s the start of the new year, this memory couldn’t come at a better time. Thanks to the article and my own leaf experience here’s something else I’ve realized…

When I land in a mental traffic jam that stalls out a project or goal, I sometimes do the exact opposite of what my son did. Rather than look at it from a new perspective, I’ll fall back into an old problem-solving habit because my brain is wired to choose the most familiar path of least resistance.

Its job is to keep me safe by protecting my energy. So, when I’m hyper-focused on the struggle and trying to force a solution, I miss the “leaf” landing in my lap. I miss the fresh perspective or new opportunity because I’ve already labeled the situation as “stuck,” which kicks my brain straight into problem-solving mode.

Here’s the other surprising thing that came from remembering that moment with the leaf. It wasn’t just a sweet memory. It was a physical shift in my biology and understanding that shift helped me make sense of why awe can be used when I’m stuck.

If you're curious as to how it’ll help with the stuck and stalled out, let's get a little geeky for a moment.

The Science of the Expansion State

Neuroscientists have a name for the impact awe has on the brain. They call it an “expansion state” because it pulls us out of narrowed thinking that can cause the stuck.

When you shift from “stuck” to “expansive,” your brain does a few incredible things:

•  It exits autopilot. Most of the day, your brain saves energy by assuming it already knows what it’s looking at: inbox, spreadsheet, laptop, repeat. Awe interrupts that loop. It nudges your brain to take in new data, which is how you spot creative sparks or solutions you’d otherwise miss.

• The inner critic quiets down. Awe quiets the parts of the brain responsible for the “me, me, me” chatter. Negative thought loops stop and you reconnect with your clear thinking and idea generation.

• Your nervous system resets. Awe signals safety. Your heart rate steadies. Your fight or flight response steps aside. This creates something called “cognitive flexibility,” which is basically a superpower. It lets you think more creatively and see solutions that felt impossible ten minutes earlier.

Awe doesn’t require a mountain range. It can come from a shadow, a sound, or even noticing how far you’ve come. Today, when I look at my business through the lens of awe, I see resources I forgot I had. I see ideas and works in progress that are pretty incredible.

Now for some fun experimentation…

A One Minute Awe Experiment

Use this as your reset button whenever you feel a mental traffic jam coming on that has you stuck in a mental gridlock.

1. Pause. Put down your phone or step away from the keyboard.

2. Shift the scale. Look at something very close to you, like the texture of your desk or the way the light hits your coffee mug.

3. Refuse the label. Instead of “that’s my pen,” look at the reflections, the colors, the tiny details.

4. Linger. Stay with it for ten seconds longer than you normally would.

5. Notice your body. See if your shoulders drop or your breath deepens.

Then look back at whatever you were working on when the stuck hit the scene. What do you see now that you didn’t see before?

Where Will Awe Take You?

Awe isn’t about chasing extraordinary moments. It’s about remembering that you’re already surrounded by things that can move you, ground you, or give you a moment of calm when you’re stressed. When we practice finding awe in the simple things that surround us, we give our brains a chance to relax and open to the possibilities and potentials.

So, here’s your invitation. What’s something ordinary in your workspace that you’ve looked at a thousand times but never truly noticed until right now? Drop it in the comments. I’d love to hear what you found and the experience you had sitting in awe for a moment.