That stunning ‘Eureka!’ moment: A sudden flash of insight — the moment when everything clicks into place — that's your epiphany. Recall those times when realisations dawned on you, like deciding to take cooking classes and leave your 9-to-5, or seeing someone without the filter of rose-coloured glasses. These blinding moments of clarity push you forward.
There’s always something magical about listening to stories of epiphanies, possibly because the person would have been doing something so ordinary, just before they realised that their life could change. You know the famous examples: Archimedes was bathing, when a realisation about buoyancy jolted him upright and he had his ‘Eureka’ moment. Isaac Newton was just sitting under a tree, when gravity’s truth hit him on the head, literally. As you can see, such moments remind us that life’s biggest insights often spring from the most ordinary activities, turning everyday distractions into gateways of profound clarity.
So, what’s the story of your epiphany? It doesn't have to be something that dramatically changed the world. For instance, Dubai-based Ilsa Fieldman was just baking brownies to comfort herself after a particularly bad marketing internship, when she realised that she could try the culinary landscape. “I won’t lie, my first batch of cookies were terrible, but I realised that I love baking and cooking. I had only seen it as a necessary chore. After toying with the idea for a while, I discussed with my parents and friends, and finally went ahead with the idea of being a chef. And now, it’s the best decision that I’ve made,” she says.
Similarly, Misha Deirdre, an Abu Dhabi-based homemaker was playing a video game rather morosely after a bad day at work, when she noticed that she was particularly intrigued by one of the video game characters and tried to draw it. One thing led to another, and now she makes creative doodles, and other artwork on totebags, mugs and glasses on commission.
These moments of clarity are far from fleeting, which sets epiphanies apart from simply good ideas.
Your personal eureka moment
So what is this magical, sometimes serendipitous feeling? Well, it's a sudden and life-changing realisation that was not previously known, something that can usually occur in the environment of a small everyday experience, explains Maropeng Ralenala, a Dubai-based clinical psychologist based at LightHouse Arabia. This suddenness and intuitive perception, is what makes epiphanies so valuable and unique to other forms of realisations or insights. “They are very simple, but significantly striking, because of how it changes your life,” she says. You can always experience fleeting thoughts and ideas, which might be deeply valuable, no doubt, but epiphanies are different: It changes you, and your life’s perspective irrevocably, explains Ralenala.
Historically, the term originates in someone having such a realisation of a significant truth not previously known. Ralenala explains, “The term has since been used to describe a myriad of scientific, technological or philosophical discoveries and breakthroughs. Yet, an epiphany is not limited to scientific advancements. It can occur in any realm of thought, feeling or function as well.”
Ultimately, the significance of an epiphany lies in its personal value to you. It is no less significant, treasured, or less fulfilling. It has changed you, and that’s what matters. It marks a remarkable point in your personal growth and development, and steers the course of your life’s ship, she says.
This brings us to a crucial question: How do we differentiate between fleeting thoughts and genuine epiphanies?
Recognising your epiphany
How can you tell if you've experienced an epiphany?
According to Ralenala, distinguishing an epiphany from a simple good idea hinges on its suddenness and impact. “A good idea usually lacks the shock factor and only affects a specific area, whereas an epiphany strikes unexpectedly, merging previously unrelated concepts in a profound way,” she explains. You'll know it from the impact: It's what will 'stop you in your tracks'. Whether the realisation is about something positive or negative, it is always perceived positively, as it brings valuable knowledge and understanding.
‘You can’t force an epiphany’
Both psychologists emphasise that while you can't demand an epiphany, you can cultivate an environment that encourages them by allowing time for reflection and creative distractions. As Ralenala notes, true epiphanies are unanticipated in their timing and occurrence. This unpredictability contributes to the delight, surprise and elation that accompany such moments. Moreover, it makes for great stories later. (Think Newton and the apple).
So, how can you create the perfect environment for inspiration to strike like lightning?
Creating an environment for an epiphany: Time for playful distractions
You might remember Sherlock Holmes playing the violin, shutting everyone else out of the room as he played. It was a relaxation for his highly advanced cognitive processes. And soon, he would be flourishing with insights, reasoning and logic as he attempted to solve complicated crimes that involved terrifying serial killers.
Well, you might not have such a dangerous life, but you can always get a little creative. With much creativity, comes a lot of insight. Yet, the connection runs deeper than we believe. During periods of rest, creative or playful activities, our brain has the ability to make sudden leap in understanding. The ‘aha!’ moment. It often thrives in the midst of creative and playful activities, explains Turner. When the brain is relaxed, doing something enjoyable or distracted by a hobby, it opens neural pathways that are less linear and associative.
The mind starts connecting disconnected pieces of information, leading to epiphanies. It comes down to divergent thinking, as Abu Dhabi-based psychologist Fleur Philippe explains. It’s when your brain has the power to generate multiple ideas, perspectives, or solutions to a problem, in rather unusual ways. “When you indulge in creative activities such as painting, writing, or playing music, encourage divergent thinking, which helps the brain explore new mental connections,” she says. That’s when you have the ‘flash’ of insights, as the brain edges away from rigid, structured, problem-solving approaches.
You might have noticed how insights strike like lightning when you’re not actively thinking about the problem. “Playful distractions like doodling, walking, or even daydreaming help the brain relax. During these moments, the default mode network — a part of the brain associated with imagination and memory — becomes more active. This network helps synthesise previously unrelated ideas, creating space for epiphanies to surface unexpectedly,” says Philippe.
The creative flow
When you’re just lost in ‘the flow’, a state where you so fully absorbed with what you are doing, you’re fostering a catalyst for sudden realisations. When it’s in flow, the brain shifts into a state of effortless focus, explains Philippe. “It minimises critical self-judgment, and new ideas or solutions can emerge unforced. Activities like dancing, crafting, or sketching can encourage this state of flow, where insights often ‘bubble up’ from the subconscious mind,” she says.
Needless to say, don’t simply perceive epiphanies as magical discoveries, like what you see in the films. Don’t sit back, waiting for brilliance to strike. You need to prepare the environment for the possibility of an epiphany to occur, explains Ralenala. This involves putting in work of self-development, pursuing knowledge and understanding the things that matter most to you. “Although hard work and pursuit of enlightenment cannot guarantee that an epiphany will take place, we can be certain that putting in no work, thought or effort dramatically reduces the possibility of an epiphany occurring close to zero,” she adds.
Furthermore, while cultivating the right environment is essential, we must also avoid the trap of pursuit. Don't try to make an epiphany happen, it just won't happen that way.
Don’t try to chase an epiphany
You can’t engineer an epiphany and neither should you be exerting mental energy in trying to do so, explain the psychologists. You don’t have to wait for it to strike; you can still create an environment for one, without trying to chase it.
The best way to increase the chances of this wonderful life experience occurring, is to put in the work of self-development, growth and attuned study in a consistent manner with the openness and faith that at any point, surprise may befall you and change your life in remarkable ways....
Actively pursuing and chasing after an epiphany might mean robbing it of its core component, disqualifying its status as an epiphany, adds Ralenala. Consider it as a sort of ‘lucky moment’, that when chased after, might in fact reduce the chances of its sighting due to undue pressures and an unnatural environment where epiphanies don’t commonly spring forth from. “The best way to increase the chances of this wonderful life experience occurring, is to put in the work of self-development, growth and attuned study in a consistent manner with the openness and faith that at any point, surprise may befall you and change your life in remarkable ways.”
As wonderful and rewarding as epiphanies can be, they are certainly not a requirement for the pursuit and process of amazing innovation or creativity. By far the vast majority of innovative creations take place without epiphanies, but simply through hard determined work and passionate pursuit, she concludes. So, in your pursuit of greatness, why not just put in hard and steady work so you might just have that epiphany?
Moreover the psychologists also warn: It’s great to have an epiphany, but what you do with that moment of clarity is what matters. When you have courage to live out the epiphany, that’s when the real transformation happens; that’s when the epiphany is actually an epiphany in the truest sense of the word.
