Hey once again! Been a while you and me had a small talk. I must say I have always had an admiration for kids, babies, children call them whatever but not adolescents. I have always been amazed by how they tend to live in the moment without worrying about the future or the past. Simply being. This something that is so hard to achieve for adults, from students to those working, the unemployed, everybody! I have just revisited one of my favorite pieces of writing by Anthony Fernando; it's called Dare to Dream Vol-1. Great motivational writer and speaker. Enough said! I will go on to highlight some of the differences he outlined between adults and kids which I think each and every one of us needs to acknowledge and think about. Someone once said people do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing. He talks of kids being one of the greatest coaches we will ever have. Take time to observe them. There is a lot to be learnt from these tiny coaches.
| About Kids | About Adults |
| Kids can quickly change their emotions from sad to happy at an instant. They don't spend too much time worrying about the future or the past. | On the other hand adults carry a lot of emotional baggage from past experiences and fear for the future. No wonder we can't experience and enjoy life the way it is. |
| During kids’ classes or anything they have to learn, they acknowledge their mistakes, laugh at them and move on. They give themselves time to learn. | Adults get frustrated at every mistake they make and beat themselves down for it. Adults don't find valuable lessons in the mistakes they make. They just see imperfection in them. |
| Children believe in the beauty of their dreams naturally. This has always been a secret ingredient to success in life. It is their belief that makes them who they want to be. | As adults we grow and forget about the power and the beauty of our dreams. We have grown more faithless in our dreams therefore losing the most basic ingredient to success in life. |
| Laughing and giggling, I call it their specialty. They will stop to laugh at funny incidents life gives them. | As we grow old we get more serious and bury down the sense of fun while at it. Anthony says it's in the name of 'maturity'. I believe him. |
| I love you! The easiest phrase. They say this more times and with easy and trueness to the statement. They don't think about anything else, they just express that affection. Period! | Adults.... They deeply meditate on these words before they can express them out. They think about the consequences of saying so. Both past and future. |
| Kids are like us too. They get angry and said but that only lasts a moment. They forgive quickly and completely. They rarely carry grudges for a long time. | "I will forgive, but I may never forget". Typical of adults. They carry lifelong grudges that in turn become emotional baggage. |
| Sense of wonder. Kids curious little creatures that are always wondering about the things around them. They are amazed by nature and its mysteries. They ponder, they wonder. How, why, when, who. The answers always amaze them. | Adults have lost their sense of wander and amazement. An elephant at the zoo will usually just be an elephant to the adults. No wonder of nature's mysteries such as why it has a long nose or notice it has three toes (just guessing about the number of toes. |
I have to end here. I hear some kids laughing out in the park. Think I will go and play invisible. Some valuable lessons to be learnt.
Catch ya later :)
