Is “amazing” only for moon landings?

In Denmark we smile at the shallow Americans who just looove the word “amazing”. We tend to think they have an excessive and improper use of the word. They sure use it. A lot! As Danes this does not come naturally. In fact, we usually reserve our “amazings” for rare events, like a first moon landing or perhaps (if you are into that stuff) the birth of a royal baby. It is not - in Denmark or in Scandinavia - used as in “this coffee is amazing” or “babe, today my ride home was just amazing”.
Over the past years I’ve grabbed every excuse I could possibly dig up to travel a lot, work abroad whenever possible, go to school with people from around the world. I think it’s amazing! New relations have been built that way. Discussions have taken place. On religion, politics, differences, alikes. And this summer in Paris - on the meaning of a word.
 
Is "amazing" only for moon landings? Or is it okay to use the word when describing a burger or a cute girl? 

A story of love
It happened to most people I know who spend a substantial amount of time in the States. It has happened to me. You CAN actually learn to love what that sometimes annoying “amazing” represents. Let me explain the power of the word through the eyes of my - amazing - brother.

He tells this story of his first mind changing experience: At the age of 20 he went to see the States (but for a long time didn’t actually leave NYC). He stayed so long that time came to go to college. But he needed to make money for tuition fees, rent, and daily life - as is the case for many Americans (again a difference from Denmark). A job as a waiter and bartender seemed like the right choice and it turned out that the fact he had a lack of skills or experience in that field, and was studying more than full-time, would not be a problem. It was primarily a matter of the right attitude - and pretty soon, they told him, he would be amazing at this. He was.

Later, when he started a fashion accessories business with a partner — not even close to his educational or professional background — his American friends would be sooo excited while he found himself explaining for hours what he was doing to his friends back home in Denmark. In Denmark we complete three to five years of university in one discipline, getting ready to work in the related field, while a lot of Americans do combinations and seem convinced of their readiness and preparation to take on amazing jobs in “any industry”. In Denmark we seldom jump from one pond to another. In the States it happens all the time. Amazing…

I, of course, have a more superficial experience with the word than native believers. I’ve never lived in the amazing land of opportunities, but I’ve spent enough time with the excessive natives to find myself using the A-word more and more. And I recognize the amazing power that it holds.

Boring or breakthrough?
Research shows that uniform stimuli might create a natural likability of uniform patterns, while a high variance in stimuli can be the root of accepting less uniform patterns. This is a theoretical view at something that seems self-evident: if you embrace new ideas and call new initiatives amazing, then you promote them. If you point out how new initiatives simply will not work, then you discourage them. On the surface, one approach is risky and the other is safe. One is American Facebook’s motto of “move fast and break things,” the other is Scandinavian Volvo’s “for life” and “safety first” approach. One is the reckless construction of, sometimes, amazing breakthrough projects — the other is the considerate assembly of slightly boring and well-made products built to last.
 
 
Reckless construction of ideas gives amazing breakthrough projects such as Facebook while considerate assembly gives slightly boring and well-made products such as Volvo. 

An amazing approach
Maybe a little word like “amazing” can be part of changing societies; maybe we should start encouraging (or discouraging, depending on your risk profile) its usage. If we want perfection, let’s keep criticizing and do what we already do well. If we want innovation, let’s increase our stimuli by opening up and calling new ideas amazing. Even when they might fail. We could end up with something that people - from where I’m from - would call “fairly good”.

A while ago I met a woman who exemplified the way openness works. And the difference an open mind can make. To people, businesses, regions. As an expert in the field Mary Walshok was invited to Medicon Valley, where I at that point was communications director, to talk about cluster building and instant greatness. One of the points she made was this: “When something sounds crazy enough, we listen. The idea might be… amazing. It is only when there is no action, we stop paying attention.” Amazing approach! It is in unconventional thinking fantastic innovations are to be found.

Shake those bones and feel the energy
So don’t I think the Americans go completely overboard sometimes? Is it not more difficult to find out what is truly amazing when everything seems to be? Don’t I feel a little less amazing when both my burger and I are described as such? Yes! You bet. As a Dane I feel the skepticism in my bones when even the bottled water is simply “amazing”. But I loooove the energy, that can come from the word. The potential it represents – if you are there to catch the opportunity.

By Stine Grønkjær (in discussion with Mikkel Hansen)

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