One of my oft recounted stories is a time I was aboard a sailboat in Southern California. I was in town for a tradeshow and the middleaged gentleman who owned the boat invited a few of us aboard for a sunset harbor cruise and hors d'oeuvres. He was in the process of restoring the boat, so the mast was off and in storage somewhere. Anyway, since I was very familiar with the harbor, I volunteered to steer his boat around enabling him to focus on his hosting duties. To my delight, he readily accepted. Later, approaching me and offering to fill my wine glass, I asked him if he grew up out here. “Not yet”, he replied. I chuckled. I love that response and have not forgotten it.
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This summer, I enjoyed a series of experiences that made me “feel like a kid again”. Likely because so much of it felt like summer camp. So I asked myself two questions: what is it about those experiences that elicit these feelings; and why do we attribute them to kids, implying that it’s not ‘normal’ for adults to feel this way? To answer the second question first, from what I can gather, it’s because as adults we have so many more responsibilities that we all take very seriously. And, all too often, they are accompanied with worries, some real, but mostly imagined. Our priorities have changed. The space we had as kids for exploring, experimenting and playing got crowded out. We learned the ways of the world and play time was marginalized. I think we need to give ourselves permission to carve out some of that space in our lives enabling us to feel these things again. For me, recapturing some of these feelings over the summer was not a conscious pursuit, but a happy consequence. And it felt good. To answer the first question - • viewing the world with curiosity and a sense of wonder • making the most of each day • never letting opinions stop you from taking action • learning something new • trying new things with a no matter what mindset to see if you like them • not being afraid to fail in either your eyes or those of someone else; and, if it doesn’t work out, moving on to something else • viewing mistakes as learning opportunities • asking questions to learn and understand. As adults, we sometimes don’t ask questions out of a fear of looking stupid. Just because others know it, you may not have been exposed to it before. That’s how we learn and grow • letting your imagination soar. Imagination is the wellspring of creativity • working until you run out of energy. Kids don’t go to bed at night with loads of energy. They don’t pace themselves. Tomorrow is a new day and they look forward to it with excitement. Work like you are a kid again. • smiling and laughing a lot • taking some time, at times, to do nothing at all • stop taking life too seriously all the time; your priorities probably don’t matter as much as you think they do • finding a way to make work fun This summer I learned much, accomplished a lot, met quite a few new people and had fun doing it. I encourage you to invite your inner child to come out and play. |