Oh to be young again.
Be carefree, pressure free and free to enjoy life to its fullest. With gusto and enthusiasm. Fresh faced and full of spirit.
To re-live and re-discover our fun formative years. To put a smile on our face and a spring in our step once more. To live happily.
The good news is we most certainly can. And the way to achieve this is to take lessons from the very people still doing this every single day.
Children! Our younger ‘us’.
Children have a different take on life. Not encumbered by conditioning or less damaged by events that bother us adults, they dive into life and make the most of it. They swim in all life has to offer and teach us what we are missing and have left behind from our own childhood.
So what are these lessons?
Lesson 1: Play
Youngsters are permanently engaged in play. Whether on their own or most likely with other children play is air to them. From make believe to making up games they play at life, with life and in life. It’s one big playground. Play is their non-serious, fun exploration of their world around them. Their minds conjour up thousands of possibilities which they then exuberantly bring to life as they move joyously from a real physical world to a real created one. What’s wrong with painting frog faces in the garden or riding blue mushrooms over polka dot skies to the wizard king’s chocolate castle?
Adults:
Play more! Not sport or competition but play. Let your serious what-will-others-say side drop. Getting playing. Kick leaves in the park. Pretend more. Do silly games. Put energy into fun activities. Play, play, play.
Lesson 2: Laughter
It’s a fact that children laugh up to 300 times a day compared to only 15 laughs for adults. If something makes them giggle they let it out. They also have a relaxed manner with life so that more appears funny or amuses them. Worry to them is rarely part of their internal make up so more sparks humour and cheers them up. With an attitude of positivity they can’t help but look for and find amusement in all they do, see and discover.
Adults:
Are you a laugh-a-lot? If not get giggling. Adults tend to study something and chew it over more before dropping their guard so that hilarity can get in. Our older minds are more developed to ponder and check as a self protection radar. Turn it off. Release worry. Look at things for what they are. See the funny side of life more. Or the absurd. And the plain stupid and laugh at it…and don’t stop. It’s good for you.
Lesson 3: Honesty
Children are consumately honest. If they feel it or see it, they say it. Not in a hurtful way, just in a simple disarming manner. If it matters on the inside it comes out in innocent fashion. Never to hurt or get their own back, always to state what’s going on for them. Be it upset or happy, questioning something you have said they don’t understand or merely to let out an emotion like their love for you. Even if it’s in the middle of the supermarket or during a church service. Always with gentle charm and pure accuracy in their observations.
Adults:
Let’s be more innocently honest. When adults think honest it’s to let fly and tell someone what we really think of them. An anger driven tirade or a release of pent up frustration. What’s required is more genial truth. Basic stuff like, “I love your neck” or “I don’t like custard with apple pie”. Nothing heavy or hurtful. Childlike joy in the words, “You look beautiful Mummy” will do it everytime.
Lesson 4: Love
This is easy for kids. Love is pretty much their over-riding emotion. They show it, share it, give it, talk it and exude it. It seeps out of them. They wear it on their face. Offer it in their hugs. Speak it in their words. Live it in their spirit. Love in all forms especially for their parents, animals, people they know, places they like, activities they enjoy, food that’s a favourite and friends they make. They are the centre and the source of love in action.
Adults:
Love is often an adult challenge. Things get in the way of it. Relationship failures. Society influences. Ingrained behaviours etc etc. Showing love attracts love; plain and simple. Start with safe stuff like the things you love to do or people you love being with and show that love. Then take it from there and let that love flow .
Lesson 5: Adore life as it is
Children firmly live in the moment. They are 100% involved in what they are doing. Immersed in the now and no other time. Watch them play or enjoying a game and you’ll see. Life is brilliant right here, right now. Why consider any other when it’s so great today? They rarely scan for future events (unless it’s tomorrow’s birthday party) or say, “Do you remember when..?” Life is magical and if NOW isn’t they go find a way to make it that way, straight away. No can’t-do-that thinking. There’s no waiting, this is as good as it gets.
Adults:
You may be thinking that it’s not that easy for us grown ups. Why? If you don’t adore your job, social life or where you live, then change it! If not for real, in your approach to it. Find ways to love and adore life as it is. Or work towards it being that way. Like a child don’t be swayed by doubts or excuses (you will call them reasons). Find the adoring in your world and focus on constantly.
Lesson 6: Express themselves
Whatever is going on with a child comes out. Nothing is held back. They have a natural ability to express their happiness or pain, confusion or excitement. Chiefly because they find ways to express them. No subtle clues or hidden messages. They express the feeling in words backed up by gestures, body langauge and energy plus the odd cheeky grin or hang dog look. If they feel it they have an expression for it. That way you in return always know what you are dealing with. It’s honesty in emotion.
Adults:
Boy are we good at not sincerely expressing ourselves. Hiding our true feelings. Blanking that person we fancy like mad. Or taking out our anger at our boss on drivers on the road or the shop assistant. Children deal with it and let it go. We fear the response and keep it in. There’s a lesson right there. We need to learn to express ourselves as it’s never as bad as when we don’t.
Lesson 7: Imagination
Imagination is a permanent state with children. Day dreaming is their reality. Creating made up worlds is par for the course. They also imagine themselves in these worlds having a ball or the time of their life. Or fantasising…..
- What they are going to do later that day
- Colours, shapes and sounds that feed their senses
- By re-creating known places or people
- What is possible or could be created
- Who they are be it princess or pirate
Adults:
Imagination has become more of a child talent fast appearing in the adult world. Cosmic ordering and the process of intention has struck a chord with the masses that your creative mind can actively imagine into life anything from events to abundance all backed up by science. Keep that up people. Feed your imagination. Expand what’s possible. Live in your dreams
We are supposed to teach children but, in reality, we can learn from them. They have the outlook and attitude to life we have lost and let go of. Many adults would love to be young again. Well here is a perfect place to start.
The lessons in life from our happy ever after children.
