Goosebump Moments
Goosebumps mark the way.
Not the kind of goosebumps (goose pimples, goose skin or whatever you call them)... you get when you’re caught in a snowstorm without a coat or when you are watching the latest thriller on Netflix. But the kind of goosebumps you get when you’re deeply inspired, moved or touched in some new way. Those moments are important openings in our perspective that facilitate growth.
When was the last time you had an experience like that?
I just had a goosebump moment. I was honored to speak to 25,000 DECA participants as part of their annual event in Orlando, FL the other week. It’s the largest in-person audience I’ve ever spoken to by a multiple and the first time I’ve spoken to young adults (formally, anyway). I was excited, nervous, and all the things leading up to the event.
No goosebumps yet.
And that’s the thing with goosebumps – you can’t really plan them. It’s more a question of being open to them because they just happen when they happen. Open to a transcendent moment that shifts experience around something in a new way. We might see the beauty in the present, truly understand something in a different way, see a new possibility for ourselves or others, or even connect with an essence beyond ourselves – a marked departure from what already has been. It’s an experience that marks the way of what’s truly inspiring to you.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been in front of so many people, but it was a little hard to take in the magnitude of the entire group. I went through my stories, my anecdotes, the ideas I had to share, but it wasn’t until the end that something really special happened. I invited everyone to create their own #NoMatterWhat and then declare their commitment to it, together. Before I knew it – thousands of voices joined me in chanting…
NO MATTER WHAT! NO MATTER WHAT! NO MATTER WHAT!
And then it happened.
That bolt of inspiration ran through my body, I was moved to the core and… goosebumps.
Goosebumps that this group knew there were hardships ahead, they knew they’d be up against discomfort, they knew it wasn’t going to be easy. And they declared a commitment to what was important to them in the face of all of it. I was moved by the heart in this group and what they’re all bringing forth in the world. I’m inspired that these are the people that are creating our future – a clear departure from all the doom and gloom I’ve seen in the news lately.
This is a goosebump experience that marks the way for me. It’s lighting the path and calls me forward to support what I saw there in that room that day. It’s what my good friend, Ryan Estis, would call a reference experience – something I can recall to point the way as to why I’m moving forward. Absorbing and feeling the essence of helping others to expand their lives and possibilities and deeply appreciating the difference their commitments will make in their lives and in the world.. Experience the moment with me and check it out here:
What is a goosebump moment that you’ve had?
What about that moment was so moving to you?
Capturing that essence as a mark on your path forward is something you can call on when things get hard. And the cool thing about these moments? When we share them they can light up goosebump moments in others. I invite you to join me in the #NoMatterWhat Facebook Group and share those goosebump moments that you’ve had. Your moments will no doubt inspire others.
Part of me wishes we could plan these transcendent moments – but part of what makes them special is that we cannot. I invite you to be open to these moments when the bolt of emotion strikes – in a conversation, a coffee shop, or at a conference. I invite you to seize your goosebump moments whenever and wherever you find them, and embrace the beauty, epiphany or new possibility that comes right along with them. It marks the way.