Top 10 Ways To Keep Your Inner Child Alive & THRIVING!

We all grow older (I like to refer to each new year as "Leveling Up" these days), but we DO NOT have to grow out of, or away from, our inner child. (Disclaimer: the photo says "her", but OMG, this is for everybody ;))

We ALL have an inner child, and the sooner we embrace that and redefine the "rules" to accommodate that joy, wonder, curiosity, calmness inside of us, the sooner this world will be a vastly more fun, inspiring and kinder place.

The movie BIG was a huge influence on me (judge away :)) and I am a picture-perfect, responsible adult on the outside, a person that can be depended upon to do the right thing or come through in a pinch.  I am also working diligently to balance my adult responsibilities with the needs of my inner child... who quite frankly, is a bit miffed with me as of late... for gross negligence.

If you find that you're relating to this in any way, read on; here are my top 10, easy ways to fully immerse ourselves in joyful "childishness"... even if it's between meetings. (these are in no particular order of importance)

1) MUSIC

a) Sing at the top of your lungs to your favorite song!!! in the car, with the windows rolled up is fine, but do it. Remember when you first heard the song and how you felt, who you were with... Music is so powerful and connects to so much of who we are.

b) Go to an outdoor concert with some friends! There's something magical about music, dancing and nothing, but a blanket of stars overhead.  

c) Spontaneous dance party!  I don't care where you are.  If you're feeling cooped up, throw on some awesome music and dance your butt off!  I do this often with my 5 years old and she LOVES it, plus I get to learn some awesome new moves from her!

2) GET LOST (also known as exploring)

a) Seriously, turn right when you usually turn left... take a road trip to no where. Stop in and patronize a cool restaurant along the way (your adult side has the funds to do some cool stuff that your inner kid couldn't!... Your adult side will likely pack some awesome provisions too).

b) Read a fantastic fictional book.  Like a Choose Your Own Adventure book (if anyone has one of those, PM me, I want to collect them all!)

c) Camping, Hiking, Trailfinding, Climbing, Swimming in a lake or the ocean... Get into nature and just be there, taking it in and exploring till sundown. 

3) THE LITTLE THINGS

a) Open your window while driving and hand surf the wind
b) Lay on the grass and stare at the sky (never directly at the sun though)
c) Put your feet in a stream, lake, the ocean, the sand, the grass... get connected to the Earth
d) Taste something new and relish it! (search this site for "food find")
e) Let the sun wash over you for a few minutes each day (there are actually sooo many benefits to safe sun exposure)
f) Snuggle with a loved one... get a back scratch for more than 30 seconds ;)
g) Hug someone you love and let them hug you back... try to give/get about 12 hugs each day
h) CONNECT with people you admire, or from which you can learn... some of my most treasured conversations were late at night on a dock or a golf course, just talking... don't break any trespassing laws though ;)

4) PLAY

a) Grab a friend and hit up a local playground. Go down the slide, swing as high as you can, twist up the swing and let it unwind!

b) Create: whether arts & crafts or a sculpture or a gift for someone, create cool stuff and sign that thing! Color... adult coloring books are amaze

c) Experience new or nostalgic things: Go to ADULT summer camp or take a workshop for a cool skill you want to master

e) Get out and do stuff! A treasure hunt around your town, go to a drive-in theater, go bowling....

5) GUARD YOUR HEALTH (inside & out)

a) As THE PRINCESS BRIDE's Count Rugen reminds us, "If you haven't got your health, then you haven't got anything". If you don't know where to start, do an effective Nutritional Balancing Challenge.  My absolute FAV, which brought me back from nearly giving up, is Arbonne's 30 Days to Healthy Living (I learned so much and saw such phenomenal, all-around results that I am now a coach and would love to help in any way I can, PM me... seriously, they should teach this stuff in schools). 

b) Keep moving... see PLAY above and also, take care of your body with classes, like pilates, dance, yoga, sports...

c) Only use quality products on your body... only ingest quality ingredients... there are awesome manufacturers out there, that really care about creating items that won't slowly poison us, suffocate our skin or kill our gut flora... you can choose which get your hard earned money.

d) Guard your self talk and mindset.  This one is good for kids to learn too :) So much power lies between our ears. See CALM YOUR MIND below.

6) REDEFINE THE COMMON

a) Eat dessert first. I actually eat dessert as I eat my dinner... I just worry that I might get too full on dinner and won't make it to dessert... it's all about balance people ;)

b) Rename things to make them special. Like we have FriYAYs in our hoursehold and Football FUNdays... 

c) Create traditions for your friends and family, don't just wait for the next "Hallmark Holiday" (no offense to Hallmark at all, you guys sell some awesome stuff!)

7) LEARN

a) Learn a new skill, topic, a new language... even pig latin... it's freakin' awesome to hear people speak that fluently ;)

b) Go to TED Talks, museums, pop-up restaurants, festivals...

c) Travel, travel, travel... far and wide. Go off the beaten path. There is NO BETTER WAY to learn about people, the Earth or to gain perspective.

8) CELEBRATE WINS & MISSES

a) When we were little, "taking a step" was celebrated, wiping our own rear ends was applauded, saying a full sentence was lauded as a miracle... as we grow older, folks are like, Hey, you launched a company? Hope it works out for ya. Scrapbook/archive/document your accomplishments, they are the story of your journey.

b) Failures are NECESSARY for true success, applaud and learn from BOTH your wins and your misses.  

c) When you win big or learn from a miss, share it so that others can see what's possible for them too.
(I love that Marianne Williamson quote from, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. ... Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”)

9) CALM YOUR MIND

a) Unplug from the world and connect to YOU.

a) Play hooky; take a personal day to see a movie matinee, or get a massage, or whatever makes your soul happy

b) Use tools like meditation, intention setting, affirmations, gratitude exercises... these are pure MAGIC

c) Know who you are at your core and never stop improving/learning... if you know who you are, there is no one on Earth who can define you or box you in.  Never let anyone limit you or project their limitations onto you :)

10) DREAM

a) Creating a clear vision or "destination/goal" gives you direction/clear steps, to get there... without dreams, our future is already decided by the influences at work today.

Create a vision board that helps you hold your destination in your mind.

b) Create a safe space/time for your mind to wander, to work through creative solutions and to ideate big, fun, out-of-the-box concepts.

The world needs more "kids-at-heart", grown-ups who's efforts are driven by dreams and creative solutions... and love... and adventure.  Have a fantabulous day and thanks for reading!

- Berly Wedding, Finder of cool things, Coach and Arbonne Independent Consultant