Peak Moments — Anne Marie

I’m reading a new book by Chip and Dan Heath (yup, they’re brothers). It’s about how to create "peak moments" at work, at home and for your customers. The premise of the book is that there are certain things that create a memorable moment and that we can help create more of those moments.

It’s really sparked some internal dialogue about how I can recognize those peak moments as they are happening. A good case in point: Last year, Jamisen and I crowded into a vehicle with 7 other people to travel almost 20 hours to see the path of totality for the eclipse. I road in the "jump seat" in the back of the van. The jump seat is roughly the size of a small overhead airplane compartment. During the ride, I couldn’t hear any conversation because I was also smooshed in between all the luggage for the eclipse party. We then all camped out on the floor for a night while we waited to get up at 4 a.m. to travel to the best eclipse viewing area.

This sounds pretty bonkers on the face of it. Nothing about this sounds fun. Yet, when I look back at the highlights in my life, this eclipse moment is a highlight. It ranks right up there with giving birth to my kids.

Why? Chip and Dan set about to answer that question in this book.

They figured out that peak moments have four main components: sensory influence to heighten experiences, insights into how we fit into the world or our place in a community or family, pride in the people around us or in the work and actions we take and value, meaningful connections in work, community or personal lives.

The eclipse ended up being a peak moment for me because it had the sensory influences at every step, a huge hit of emotion as the totality passed over and we realized how insignificant we truly were, a deeply meaningful connection with the people on the journey with me.

So now I’m pondering, how do I create more of those moments for myself and my children? The book makes clear that the bulk of those "peak moments" happen before our 30's, but I’d like to be intentional about creating those moments for myself through the next 50 years too. But, it doesn’t stop there: how can I be intentional about creating those memorable moments for Bramble Berry customers? Ultimately if everything in life comes down to the sweetness in relationship, this book is a roadmap for strengthening relationships of all types—a worthy endeavor always.