“As we warm our hearts and get excited about life,
we will stop feeling so jaded and will eventually find more joy in life.”
—Nancy Salmeron
My daughter, Miranda, celebrated her eleventh birthday recently. She is growing up and developing her own self-awareness and independence. We asked her how she wanted to celebrate her eleventh birthday this year. For the first time in eleven years she said she wanted something intimate with six of her closest friends and not a grand event with fifty plus people. I have a large family, so we normally have big parties for her birthday. These parties have been filled with lots of work. There is work before the party, during the party, and after the party. I have enjoyed the gathering and connecting of family and friends, but I felt relief that for the first time I did not have to entertain so many people.
Miranda’s desire for her eleventh birthday celebration was to have a very small and intimate craft party. Yes! I was very excited for her and for myself. I knew the party would be lots of fun, but I did not know how seeing my daughter interact with her friends and being part of their vibrant energy would touch my heart. I loved watching my daughter interact with her friends. They were very bubbly, full of energy, hilarious, and lots of fun. I also enjoyed watching their creativity and how each girl approached every project. Some of the girls were very focused and cautious with their projects; others were free and flowing. As I watched them tackle different activities, I wondered who these young girls would become. I wondered about their spirits and where those young, eleven-year-old, careless spirits would go. I wondered if they would love the women they transform into. Will they love themselves? Will they be proud of who they are? Will they live vivacious lives?
I was so in awe of their beautiful energy that I started to question where that energy and joy goes as we grow up. Where does that innocent and carefree view of life go? As young girls we are in a hurry to grow up, never realizing that as adults we seek to be young, joyful, and carefree again. Our goal as adults is to feel free and have a vivacious and full life. As young girls we don’t make that a goal because we simply feel free. Today, I want to explore the topic of feeling and being free. How do we get our innocence back? How do we wake up excited with life and go with the flow of it, not against it? How do we get back to basics and rediscover the joy of an eleven-year-old girl or boy? Here is how.
Be excited about everything!
To get your younger self back you must treat everything with awe and excitement. Young children are naturally fascinated with everything because it’s all new to them. Adults become jaded with our world because we feel we have seen it all and done it all. But have we really? Let’s stop being so jaded and get excited about a new day. Remember that what you seek is what you will find. Expect your days to be filled with new possibilities and watch that become a reality.
Let your imagination be limitless.
As I watched my daughter’s friends engage in the party activities, they were aware of their environment and were engaged in the present. Their imaginations were limitless. They created out of their souls and were not limited by the materials provided. These young girls improvised and used their imaginations. They solved problems because their imaginations focused on solutions, not problems. Young minds stay young because they are always curious and seeking. Let this be you.
Don’t care what others think of you.
For the most part, when you are a child and have good self-esteem, you don’t care what other people think. Having good self-esteem as a child means that you don’t obsess about the clothes you wear or what your hair looks like. This is true freedom. I am not saying that you should not want to wear nice clothes or brush your hair; I am simply saying to be you. If you enjoy fashion and nice hair, be fashionable and get nice haircuts. But don’t ever feel pressured into being something you are not. Don’t let others or the world dictate your life.
Don’t worry about tomorrow.
As adults we lose our joy by focusing too much on the past or the future. Have goals, set dreams, but live in the moment. If you work toward your goals and dreams, they will become a reality. Don’t be fearful about what will be. Remember, everything always works out for your greater good. Young people are not wondering about the future or stuck in the past. For the most part, when they are playing, they are focusing their attention on the present moment.
To reconnect with your young soul, who was full of life and joy, you must actively seek her. You do this by being present and aware of your environment and being excited about every experience. Use your imagination and get creative with your life. Drop what others think of you because their opinions truly don’t matter. Let go of the past, focus on your future, but don’t forget to stay present to fully enjoy your life. If as adults we can incorporate more child-like behaviors, we can connect with our souls and warm our hearts. As we warm our hearts and get excited about life, we will stop feeling so jaded and will eventually find more joy in life. Young children really do know the secret to life. It’s up to us to reconnect to our inner child who truly knows the way! Until next time, Believe. Change. Become.
Sending many blessings and much love your way!
Nancy😊