A researcher studied what makes moments stick in memory and found four patterns: elevation (awe or sensory delight), pride (achievement or recognition), insight (uncomfortable truths that shift how you see things), and connection (deep time with people you care about). You don't need epic vacations. Any moment hitting one of these four is the one people remember.
Chapters
So what we found after asking lots of people for what are the moments that mattered to you most in your career, what are the moments that mattered to you most as a family, or what were the moments from your last vacation that stood out, there were certain themes that came up over and over again. And so that's where epic comes from. And we don't like that because not all of the moments that we're talking about in the framework have to be epic. And we can't resist hearing that surfer dude, you know, say epic. But that's the framework. Elevation is moments of sensory experience. And so if you've ever stood in a national park and seen the beautiful views, that's a moment of elevation. If you've ever seen a fireworks show, if you've enjoyed a favorite food. I mean, birthday cupcakes are the classic distillation of sensory experience. You've got sugar, fat, and flame all in one little compact object. EP, pride. So moments of pride are moments when we set out to achieve something and we actually achieve it. In the moment when somebody recognizes you for that. So certain professions like military people are smart enough to wear uniforms that signal their pride in their position. They have a chest full of medals that show you the experiences and the skills that they've acquired. That's a source of pride. But basically whenever somebody says, you know, I saw what you did and I really appreciated that, that's a moment of pride and those stick out in our mind. Insight, moments of insight are not always pleasurable. That's one of the mistakes I think that we make in talking about consumer experiences is that they all have to be delightful. There are lots of moments of insight that are, that are oh no moments, you know, and so we may decide this is not the job for us or I've stretched myself too far on this project. But moments of insight are powerful because they tell you something different that you can do for your life or your business or the game that you're playing. And so those moments are important. And then finally, connection. And these are the most profound moments in life, the moments with our families, with our friends. With work colleagues. And so feeling that bridge, that connection with another person is tremendously valuable.
