Why "Wow!"? (Part 2)

In my last post I talked about one of the ingredients of "Wow!" which was Surprise. Today I'm going to talk about another element.

I'd like to introduce you to Awe.

You may have seen his handiwork before. He's known for showing up in fireworks displays, brilliant sunsets, and majestic vistas such as the Grand Canyon.

But there's a little secret about Awe - he's most often found in the details. Let me explain with a story.

Not far down the road from me is a little amusement park called Disney World. They claim to be The Happiest Place on Earth. I like that. It sounds like the Architect of "Wow!" After all, would you want to call yourself the The Pretty Okay Place? Or The Better Than Nothing Place? No, of course not. Shoot for the moon baby!

And if you didn't know it already, Disney is pretty good at delivering "Wow!" And one of the ways they do this is to create Awe. They know how to deliver and they know it's all in the details.

When the Pirates of the Caribbean ride first opened, Walt asked a Cast Member what she thought about the ride. After some hesitation she said something seemed to be missing. So Walt did the only sensible thing and shut it down so they could figure out that was. After extensive research they found the missing element...

Fireflies.

That was the missing piece that brought it all together. Fireflies. Awe is developed in the details. Always in the details.

I recently had a cup of coffee with a friend and he was telling me a story about meeting David Rockefeller Sr. briefly up in Maine. This is arguably one of the most powerful and influential behind-the-scenes people in the world. David's son, who was accompanying his dad on this particular trip, asked my friend of his dad had interviewed him.

My friend said no, that he had not been interviewed. With some surprise, the son told my friend that his dad made it a practice to interview the people that he met and find out personally relevant things about them. He would later commit those facts to memory so that when he saw them next he could ask them how their mother was, or how their dog was doing, etc.

Awe shows up in the details. What details are you overlooking? They may be the only thing between you and massive success.