If you ask me where do I see myself in 5 years!!!
My answer will be -
I want to see the world as a child sees it. I wish to take on infinite waves of visuals and still be able to process it. I want to make friends without judging them. I want to enjoy the moments as it is without much over-thinking. I want to smile randomly at everyone. I want the grown up inside me to be active only for protection from the negative energies and to deal with the difficult part of life.
I remember a trekker friend told me once that the happiness on my face was very addictive during the Himalayan treks. I am not sure yet if the solitude and beauty in mountains made me connect to my inner feelings or it connects to the child in me. One thing for sure - after the close encounter with the mother nature, I started seeing and appreciating a whole new world without hesitations.
We are all aware of the fact that childhood has a major role to play in our lives - our belief system, our strengths and our weaknesses. Also, children are the most adorable part of society. A child's smile can take away the stress of 14-hour work day. But do we realize, as we grow old (or less young), we keep pushing our childhood away intentionally or by external forces? As we struggle to meet our needs or mere expectations after needs are fulfilled, we forget the one that can open the doors to happiness even in tough situations - the child in us.
The inner voice keeps blabbering on practical things and when I hand over the control to the childish self, I feel free and quite happy! For sometime, I am trying to figure out why I become friends with some people almost instantly and why some others' presence creates stress beyond the differences of behaviors, interests or life values. It somehow links to the child inside me.
A healthy child in an acceptable environment is usually stress free, loves little things of life, do not over think, is usually very moody and wants to do things that she/he loves. Now lets say you keep that child intact even when you age, but you switch modes between the adult that restricts and the child that enjoys. That will be the ideal situation if you can balance them out.
Now back to some details about my own life...may be you will find similarities!
Who chokes the child inside me?
- The people who are always serious and take every word seriously
- The people who always compare
- The ones who have lost the track for enjoying simple things
- The people who do not believe in being childish or impractical
- The people who can not properly (or whole-heartedly) smile
- The people chasing materialistic things after losing the button to shut that mode off time to time
Over time I developed a three-step process to deal with such people who chokes the child!
- Have a shield-on mode i.e. do not process information around them
- Never expose your 'immature' side
- If above two do not work, simply avoid them!
Who makes the child inside me happier?
- Children with smiles
- The people with authentic smiles
- The crazy people who are always impulsive and energetic
- The outdoor activities and games
- The people who can go beyond the surface complications of life and just enjoy life as it is
- The ones who have their children in them alive and then we sometimes become pals for life
- The ones thrilled with the beauty of this world
Now most important part - how can you keep your childish part alive?
- Pamper yourself time to time (chocolate, ice cream - have a guilty pleasure)
- Be mischievous
- Laugh aloud
- Be friends with children, not as a guardian or grown up but as their peer
- Stay closer to mother nature - trees , open wide sky, mountains , oceans , lakes that will help you feel like kids
- Child hood friends and your family will remind you of your childhood. Talk about your childhood
- Never burden yourself with too much serious things around
- Avoid the people or protect yourself from comparisons and the people who do that
- Strike a balance between the practical self and the impractical self
- And most importantly. do not ignore your creative side, your knowledge seeking side and your fun loving side
- Be THRILLED
Last but not the least, give me best of luck for being more childish!!
My answer will be -
I want to see the world as a child sees it. I wish to take on infinite waves of visuals and still be able to process it. I want to make friends without judging them. I want to enjoy the moments as it is without much over-thinking. I want to smile randomly at everyone. I want the grown up inside me to be active only for protection from the negative energies and to deal with the difficult part of life.
I remember a trekker friend told me once that the happiness on my face was very addictive during the Himalayan treks. I am not sure yet if the solitude and beauty in mountains made me connect to my inner feelings or it connects to the child in me. One thing for sure - after the close encounter with the mother nature, I started seeing and appreciating a whole new world without hesitations.
We are all aware of the fact that childhood has a major role to play in our lives - our belief system, our strengths and our weaknesses. Also, children are the most adorable part of society. A child's smile can take away the stress of 14-hour work day. But do we realize, as we grow old (or less young), we keep pushing our childhood away intentionally or by external forces? As we struggle to meet our needs or mere expectations after needs are fulfilled, we forget the one that can open the doors to happiness even in tough situations - the child in us.
The inner voice keeps blabbering on practical things and when I hand over the control to the childish self, I feel free and quite happy! For sometime, I am trying to figure out why I become friends with some people almost instantly and why some others' presence creates stress beyond the differences of behaviors, interests or life values. It somehow links to the child inside me.
A healthy child in an acceptable environment is usually stress free, loves little things of life, do not over think, is usually very moody and wants to do things that she/he loves. Now lets say you keep that child intact even when you age, but you switch modes between the adult that restricts and the child that enjoys. That will be the ideal situation if you can balance them out.
Now back to some details about my own life...may be you will find similarities!
Who chokes the child inside me?
- The people who are always serious and take every word seriously
- The people who always compare
- The ones who have lost the track for enjoying simple things
- The people who do not believe in being childish or impractical
- The people who can not properly (or whole-heartedly) smile
- The people chasing materialistic things after losing the button to shut that mode off time to time
Over time I developed a three-step process to deal with such people who chokes the child!
- Have a shield-on mode i.e. do not process information around them
- Never expose your 'immature' side
- If above two do not work, simply avoid them!
Who makes the child inside me happier?
- Children with smiles
- The people with authentic smiles
- The crazy people who are always impulsive and energetic
- The outdoor activities and games
- The people who can go beyond the surface complications of life and just enjoy life as it is
- The ones who have their children in them alive and then we sometimes become pals for life
- The ones thrilled with the beauty of this world
Now most important part - how can you keep your childish part alive?
- Pamper yourself time to time (chocolate, ice cream - have a guilty pleasure)
- Be mischievous
- Laugh aloud
- Be friends with children, not as a guardian or grown up but as their peer
- Stay closer to mother nature - trees , open wide sky, mountains , oceans , lakes that will help you feel like kids
- Child hood friends and your family will remind you of your childhood. Talk about your childhood
- Never burden yourself with too much serious things around
- Avoid the people or protect yourself from comparisons and the people who do that
- Strike a balance between the practical self and the impractical self
- And most importantly. do not ignore your creative side, your knowledge seeking side and your fun loving side
- Be THRILLED
Last but not the least, give me best of luck for being more childish!!
Mountains helped me a lot to keep the child alive across years and continents
(Photo courtesy: fellow travelers)
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