You Probably Need More Awe

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Alright, let’s get to this week’s piece.

I’ll keep this one quick, because I want you to use your time to take action on this.

Today we’ll be discussing the topic of awe.

To understand awe is to acknowledge its dual nature: it is both universal and deeply personal.

Philosophers from Edmund Burke to Immanuel Kant referred to the “sublime,” a term encompassing awe’s mix of wonder and terror. Kant saw it as the mind grappling with its limitations when faced with overwhelming vastness, whether a star-filled sky or the dizzying scale of an idea.

Today, psychologists like David B Yaden, Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt have codified awe into scientific frameworks, describing it as the collision of perceived vastness and the inability to immediately comprehend it. It’s a feeling rooted not just in the extraordinary but also in the destabilizing realization of one’s smallness.

Scientific research has only reinforced what humanity has long experienced. Awe shuts down the self-referential chatter of the default mode network in the brain. This network—responsible for our ego, our internal monologue—is silenced, allowing us to feel interconnected, compassionate, and present.

Awe activates the vagus nerve, that mysterious braid of fibers linking brain to body, often described as the physiological seat of empathy and social connection. It also reorients our sense of time: moments of awe make time feel both suspended and expansive, leaving us with a paradoxical mix of urgency and serenity.

The benefits of awe extend far beyond its immediate emotional impact. Studies suggest that individuals who experience awe regularly are less stressed, less isolated, and more satisfied with their lives. They are also more likely to exhibit prosocial behaviors, from helping strangers to showing greater patience with loved ones. Awe recalibrates our priorities. It diminishes the petty and amplifies the profound.

For the past several years, I’ve been on a journey. I’ve left a stable job to start a business. I’ve woken up in (and worked from) over 40 different cities in 10 countries across four continents, in the last two years alone. I’ve experienced sadness in times that I should have been happy. I’ve experienced pure bliss in times that I definitely should have been sad.

Most importantly, I’ve recalibrated my priorities and recognized that many of my goals were no longer mine, but simply a product of mimesis. All that has led me to here, writing this post today.

To some this sounds exhausting, even frightening. To me, it’s led to a stark realization about how I want to live my life.

At first, I thought I was addicted to novelty which scared me a bit since you can only have so many novel experiences. Now, I think I’m addicted to awe which I’ve learned to intentionally create in abundance.

Travel, for me, has been a deliberate pursuit of awe, the emotion that peels back the layers of our routines and leaves us raw and vulnerable in the presence of something grand.

Most recently, I found myself in Japan. If you’ve ever been, you know it’s a country that doesn’t ease you into the experience. For the first 24 hours, the culture shock was so intense it left me slightly anxious—different language, different customs, different everything. But once the initial unease wore off, I was completely hooked.

I walked through centuries-old temples, their silence speaking louder than any words. I watched Snow Monkeys soak in hot springs, perfectly content and oblivious to the chaos of the world beyond their mountain sanctuary. I even stumbled across tiny alleyway bars where locals welcomed me like an old friend, despite the language barrier.

These moments weren’t just beautiful—they were grounding. They reminded me how much there is to learn, experience, and feel outside of my usual routine. It’s easy to let the noise of daily life dull our senses, but awe has this way of cutting through all of it.

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to travel across the world to find it. Awe is everywhere if you look for it—whether it’s in the stillness of a sunrise, a stranger’s unexpected kindness, or even just trying something that makes you slightly uncomfortable.

And yet, we’ve built a world where awe has to fight for its life. Social media wants you angry, distracted, and endlessly scrolling—not staring slack-jawed at a mountain. These apps designed to capture and hold your attention don’t care about expanding your soul.

Awe, on the other hand, demands space, silence, and a willingness to look up.

Just think about the last time your mind was truly blown. There’s a solid chance it didn’t come from travel. There’s also a solid chance it was planned: a sporting event, a concert, a long hike, a memorable date.

So here’s my challenge to you…

Step away from your screen. For one hour, leave your phone behind and walk outside with no destination in mind. Seek out the small wonders that hide in plain sight. Let yourself be disoriented. Let yourself be surprised. And when you return, reflect on what you felt.

Was it discomfort? Relief? Maybe even awe? In a world that seeks to shrink our attention spans and commodify our experiences, choosing awe is an act of quiet rebellion.

It is a reminder that we are more than consumers of content; we are participants in the vast, unfolding drama of existence. Lock your phone away. Go. Look. Feel. Repeat.

The Digital Reset Journal

A few weeks ago, I soft launched the Digital Reset Journal to readers of this newsletter—big thanks to those who already snagged one!

Pumped to share that the updated website is now live, packed with tactical info on exactly what you can expect to gain from using it.

What started as a personal solution to reflect on my own digital wellness journey has grown into something much bigger.

It’s helped me cut my screen time in half and become more intentional with how I spend my time and what I consume.

And I’m already hearing great feedback on how it’s helping others do the same.

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Other Resources

Kanso Digital Wellness: A 1:1 accountability system for those looking to break their digital addictions, reduce dopamine burnout, and unlock more focus, clarity, and success. Sign up here.

Roast My Screen Time: Upload screenshots of your screen time data and get ruthlessly roasted by AI. Give it a spin here.

Digital Detox Tools: A free directory of 75+ digital wellness products, software, and services. Access it here.

That’s all for this week. Now stop scrolling and go do something great!

Thanks for reading,

Randy