1/8/2024 0 Comments Aha moment meaning![]() They expressed excitement at more days like this, presumably to come.īut I wondered how many people took to heart the bottom half of the article, which argues explicitly that we don’t have a hope of living that way, at least with any consistency, unless we have some kind of regular practice. Readers reported that after reading the article, they went for blissful walks, basked in gentle breezes, ate transcendent sandwiches, marveled at the steam swirling up from their coffee, and otherwise lived in the present moment in a way they usually don’t. Therefore we should invest in a habit of frequently returning to our sensory experience. I received a number of these excited messages in July, after I published “ The Alternative to Thinking All the Time.” The post argued that when we’re not attending to our present-moment sensory world, we’re probably just ruminating uselessly. I often wonder how many of them become lasting changes, and how many fizzle after a short burst of enthusiasm. Since most of my day job is to offer exactly these sorts of epiphany-inducing perspectives, I receive a lot of emails from people in the middle of epiphanies. So when they do stick, what makes them stick? The missing ingredient Occasionally, after an “Aha” moment, we really do turn over a new leaf, but much more often we return to old patterns without ever deciding to. But over time it starts to seem irretrievable. You might even reread the material that gave you the insight in the first place, and maybe a hint of the feeling returns. Soon you feel like you’ve forgotten how to look at the world that way. We get really excited about our new perspective, see its potential everywhere, and maybe do some light proselytizing. The lens might be Stoicism, emotional literacy, frugality, non-procrastination, living in the present moment, reframing criticism, or some other perspective. The “Aha” moment is it’s own unique emotion: a feeling of “ Ah! That makes so much sense!” It feels like you’ve gained possession of a new lens, through which everything in your life looks tidier and more manageable: your work, your relationships, your health, your finances, and yourself. Then, when you’re not looking, this “New You” disappears into your old patterns. Armed with this insight, you enjoy a few weeks of newfound enthusiasm and ease. You read about a new perspective that immediately clicks with your intuitions, triggering a so-called “Aha!” moment. ![]() This is a pretty common human pattern, especially for self-improvement hobbyists. I’m not worried about this, however, for reasons I’ll explain. Not only do I forget to respond Stoically to emerging dilemmas in life, it’s hard to locate even a whiff of that fate-loving sense of empowerment I seemed to embody so easily for those few weeks. I am still constantly becoming fixated on what I can’t control and overlooking what I can, and I don’t believe I could “march to the gallows in good cheer.” Six months later, I can report that I did not get good at it. ![]() The title was “The Only Thing You Need to Get Good At”, referring to the Stoic skill of continually returning your attention to the small number of things you can control, and leaving the rest of your worries to fate. The post made the front page of Reddit, and whenever someone in real life tells me they read this blog, that’s the article they mention. In March I published a post explaining-and diagramming with stick figures-how I’d become enamored with Stoicism.
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