We always think that we adults have to drive the kids, take them by the hand and help them walk the path of life by teaching them what they do not know. We rarely stop thinking about the lessons that children can offer to us. Nor do we stop to think about the things that with our teachings we stole from children, things that are very useful for dealing with life. In fact, the British writer Ken Robinson said in this regard: “Education is guilty, almost always, to divert people from their talents.”
Going back to childhood means connect with our essence
1. Every day is a new beginning
Isn’t it nice thinking of the new day as a new opportunity rather than feeling dejected or simply overwhelmed just opening the eyes? For children, every day makes it possible to live a new adventure, to discover something, to be happy. Children do not bring with them a baggage from day to day, we should let us be influenced by that spirit, because it is an amazing feeling that can only make us feel good.
2. Smile everyday
Charlie Chaplin said that “a day without a smile is a day lost.” However, many adults have almost forgotten how it feels to laugh out loud. In fact, there are a thousand reasons to smile, we just don’t see them because we are deeply caught up in our worries and problems. Children, on the contrary, make imagination fly and always find the funny side of everyday’s situations. Relearn how to face life with sense of humor is one of the greatest gifts that you can do to yourself, your emotional balance will thank you.
3. Be the hero
Nora Ephron said that “we should all be the protagonist of our life, not the victim.” In fact, when children tell a story are proactive, they always take the role of the heroes. Unfortunately, as we grow older we become more reactive, instead of taking the reins of our life we allow ourselves to be influenced and finish at the mercy of circumstances. Therefore we end up minimizing our achievements and begin to blame the destiny assuming the role of victims. But if you really want to live without regrets, the key is being the protagonist of your life and not live it as if you were a spectator or a secondary player.
4. Scars must be proudly displayed
When a child has a bone fracture, everybody signs the plaster and he becomes the hero of the class. If he cuts himself, shows the scar with pride, as if it were a war trophy. However, growing up we begin to hide our emotional wounds, we’re ashamed of them. We do not realize that the unrequited love, the loss of a loved one or failure of a project, are there to indicate that we lived and had the courage to try. Therefore, we must not hide our pain, sadness and anxiety, but share them with the people around us. Scars are not signs of weakness or failure, but a sign of strength and resilience, are a story to tell, not something shameful to hide.
5. Always try new things
André Gide said that “man can not discover new oceans unless it has the courage to lose the sight of the shore.” Children are not afraid to face the unknown because they are not full of prejudices and fears as adults. They eagerly seek the new, and fully enjoy it because the novelty stimulates their senses and mind. The adults think they feel good in their comfort zone and fear of going beyond their limits, but the truth is that their brain needs novelty as much as the infant brain, because only when they step out of what they know, only when they explore new territories, they manage to really grow.
6. Enjoy the magic of small pleasures
“Enjoy the little things because one day you may look back and realize that those were just the big things,” said Robert Brault. Children know it, they are able to get excited before a seemingly insignificant flower, enjoy the pleasant feeling of sand between the toes, are inspired by a rainbow, they rejoice when they can play in the rain… Even we, the adults, have at hand all those little miracles, but since we stopped appreciating them we even stopped enjoying.
7. Put into question everything and everyone
Children do not consider themselves satisfied so easily, they want to get to the bottom of things and to question everything, even things that adults take for granted. In fact, their “why?” are one of the most valuable tools available to them, not only to discover and understand the world, but also to develop a critical attitude and self-determination. We the adults have stopped to ask ourselves these questions and simply accept everything that the society tells us. At that moment our thinking begins to atrophy and we become automatons. But going back to question everything, as if we were kids, but now with the eyes of an adult, we will open new doors of which we do not even suspected the existence.
8. Trust your sense of happiness
Children have a special sense for happiness, they know exactly what makes them happy and do not hesitate to look with pleasure this good feeling. As we grow we suffocate this sense, we sacrifice it on the altar of duty. The others, those who have already resigned to not be happy, say it is selfish, utopian or useless to think in terms of happiness. However, we should regain that lost sense to do every day what we believe to be more correct, what we like, what we want, and at our own pace.
