By: Kenneth Stepp
Wow! We’ve all said it about something or someone. There are times in our lives that something takes us by surprise in a good way. Welcome to the wow factor. It takes a lot for people to wow me. Maybe because I have met most people’s wow’s. I met John Wayne on a river boat. Colonel Sanders in church. Stevie Nicks, Pink Floyd, and many senators and congressmen. Even a few presidential candidates. I can hold my own with anyone in a conversation. And if they are looking for someone to be starstruck. That “ain’t” me. So, to be wowed is a monumental task for me. I do love it when I am.
In 2013 I met a single mom. She has 3 wonderful children. One, a 9 year old boy, has had 13 major surgeries to date, and is in a wheel chair. The other two have tumors. One that will cost him his sight soon, the other that can lead to several very bad things. And the mom. She recently found out she has these same tumors that will lead to a difficult life. She messaged me on Facebook last week that she was praying for me. She wows me. It’s hard to compete with that. The list of those that wows me is composed of very strong, focused people.
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Another is a single mom. She’s a widow. One of the lucky ones that found her soul mate. Only to lose him to cancer. She raises her boys in a way that makes anyone that has an ounce of admiration for strength to take notice. She runs a family business, and officially has the most redheaded son on the planet. Honestly. When I met her I was compelled to be a better man. She wowed me. If only there were more with her dedication. We talk every now and then. She has no clue how amazing she is. Add humility to that list.
“If you want to wow someone. You will need to step up your game”
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To admire another person is a form of respect that most never experience at all. It means that someone saw past any flaws, mistakes, and regrets. To the person you have become. Most of these people have no idea they have become someone so amazing. Most have their head down and are plowing through life every day. Just hoping to make it to nightfall so that they can escape the day they just endured. Only to wake up in the morning and do it all over again. Is this what a hero is made of? It is for me. I love being around these people. They make my life seem more meaningful by being a part of my journey.
In the dating arena, the wow factor almost never happens. I am learning that wow may not happen when we first meet. It may not happen for a long time. It may even happen over time. As we simply get to know one another. We learn about our capacity to love, to reason, and most of all. We learn about our capacity to communicate. If the was a let down from a great buildup. Then you need to understand how hard it is to find someone who can communicate with you successfully. It can seem impossible at times. Through this we can actually get to know one another on a much deeper level. Understanding each other’s hearts.
Time rolls on for all of us. We have the gift of deciding what to do with the time we have been given. I regret wasting so much of mine. I am working of a life with fewer regrets. It’s an audacious goal indeed. What are you doing to change what you see as wrong in your life? Can you be someone’s wow?
Founder, American Angel Works
