We grow up and become so serious. There are claims that children laugh more than 300 times a day, whereas adults laugh less than 20 times a day. It’s as if we can either be childlike without a care in the world or all grown up having to be serious and responsible. Why is that?
We might take responsibility and feel we have to live it to the extreme. After all, we do need to be contributing members of society and work in a manner that reflects the task at hand. The last thing you want to see in the strategy meeting is John rolling around on the floor screaming because Jane said his idea wouldn’t work. (Although, bouts of pouting at the office desk after meetings seems to be acceptable behavior).
But when you look at children, they have a way of living life that is so liberating. They have big dreams, try new things, fight and make up within 5 minutes, don’t hold grudges, are imaginative little things, and can easily see the awe and wonder in the world around them.
Yes, they do roll on the floor and have temper tantrums, get bored quickly, can be messy, don’t always understand the concept of responsibility, and can sometimes be destructive. Hmm, apart from the rolling around on the floor (at least not in public), this could describe many adults I know!
So, why do we lose much of our childlike tendencies when we get older? I don’t know the answer to that, but I am sure some knowledgeable folk out there could let us know. I know that there are many benefits to getting in touch with our inner child.
Some of those include:
- Seeing an incredible world every time we step out of the house. It’s surprising how much we take for granted as an adult. Kids can see the amazing in almost everything.
- The default state of children is learning. That means when they are left to their own devices, they are naturally learning, always! By connecting to your inner child, you too could reconnect to that natural state of learning, be open to new ideas, and elevate your life to new heights.
- If you put a group of kids together, they will play and get along without judgment or discrimination. They are judgment-free. They can see the person they are with and nothing else. In a polarized world, this skill could be a game-changer.
- When we see things we disagree with, we become the judge to condemn the action. Kids see other people doing things differently and wonder why they do that thing in that way. They are curious and connect to the world around them openly and honestly – we could learn a great deal from this trait.
- As adults, we can see something different in others and immediately become threatened. Kids don’t see differences as threatening; they rarely even see the differences. They just see another kid and want to play.
- Kids have a fantastic gift to turn everything into a game. They play! Doing this allows them to find much pleasure and enjoyment in the smallest things. Adults forget this and see everything as a task to complete or an obstacle to overcome..
- They laugh! As mentioned earlier, kids are rumored to laugh more times than adults, but digging a little deeper into that rumor, you will find it’s not as big a gap as we think. But, they laugh at all sorts of silly things, which is an excellent skill to have.
- I challenge you to regularly tap into your inner child and see where they might lead you. Who knows, you might find yourself on an adventure of a lifetime, at least in your mind!
The Tiff and Tony show recorded a video on how you might want to think about embracing your inner child. Check it out:
At the time of writing this, it is National Goof Off day. Yes, they have a national day for everything! Maybe finding a way to goof off (the suggested correction for this term in Grammarly is “waste of time, how sad), a little “wasting time” might open the door for your inner child to come out and see the light of day. Give it a try; what have you got to lose?
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