Have You Lost Your Inner Child?
Children have a natural exuberance. Everything they do is filled with such joy and anticipation that they usually run to get places. We see them energetically wiggle when forced to sit still, and it’s not unusual for them to squeal with delight when something good happens. Without much of an inner filter in place, their enthusiasm and excitement about life is palpable. Their world is an imaginative place of infinite possibilities. Due to a child’s natural sense of wonder and curiosity, they tap fully into their right brain creativity. It’s no longer simply a living room in their home, but with a few pillows thrown around, it becomes shark infested waters! Jumping from pillow to pillow with amazing superpowers, they are able to do acrobatic feats that defy gravity and logic.
Unfortunately, as we age, we can lose this energetic way of living. Whether through negative life experiences, peer pressure or social programming, our zest for life often dwindles. In learning to place a wall around our true feelings, we can become numb and apathetic.
From the first day of school we are taught to analyze, dissect, and use our logical minds. Creative pursuits are not embraced as we grow, and everything is geared toward teaching for standardized tests that are supposed to prove how smart we are. Schools do not promote individuality or creative thought. For students who do not fit, they are labeled on the “spectrum” and often prescribed medications to make them more mailable.
Some of us lose our “inner child” due to painful events that smash our once hopeful natures. We become negative and jaded. We find that if we no longer allow ourselves to hope, we lessen our chances of future disappointment if things don’t work out. Instead of staying like Tigger from the children’s story Winnie the Pooh, we become an Eeyore.
The law of attraction teaches us that what we put out, is what we attract; so we need to understand that hardening ourselves to the world actually works against us. Our apathy will be met with apathy, and if we no longer believe in magic, magic will no longer find us.
So how do we navigate our current system, yet keep our sense of wonder in the world around us? Why is it that some people marvel at the majesty of a sunset, while others rush home from work without a second look? There is magic in EVERY day, IF we allow ourselves to see it. Children do not live in the past or the future, they are all about the NOW! This is the secret of whether we live in a mystical world of wonder, or a chaotic and stressful rat race. One must be in the present moment, rather than fretting about the past or worrying about the future. Every day when we get out of bed, we CHOOSE which way we are going to live.
Getting back to that place of wonderment is far easier than we might believe. It begins with not only being in the moment, but taking the time to notice everything, even the little things we have learned to take for granted. For in reality, these “little things” are the most important aspects of life. Whether it’s finding joy from a fresh cup of coffee, enjoying the fragrant smell of a newly cut lawn, or giggling as we cuddle a beloved pet; we must slow ourselves down enough to be grateful about life’s simpler things.
Once we begin to see the world again with the eyes of a child, we can start to dream of all the possibilities in our lives. We no longer listen to our critical nay saying left brain, but begin to understand that all things are possible when we believe. It’s not that we refuse to grow up like Peter Pan, but rather we understand that our sense of wonder and childlike innocence creates an extraordinary reality.