In Debra Smouse’s “Clearing Your Brain Clutter” workshop, I wrote a letter to my 12-year-old self as part of an exercise to re-invite adventure into my life. As I shared a specific adventure I experienced as an adult with my four-eyed, clumsy, long-limbed past self, I realized that I am slowly becoming that hopeful child again.
As I look back at myself at 12, I was already letting others influence my thinking. Friends, teachers, my parents… all rubbed off on me, forever staining positive or negative colors on the canvas of my spirit. I longed for adventure, but found a barrier of rules surrounded me at all times.
I cannot change the past but I can change my mindset and jump over the obstacles that were in front of me as a child. I have been reflecting on my life and feel a sense of urgency to start living in contentment and looking at the world not as a 12-year-old, but as a 5-year-old.
Full of passion and imagination. Without limits and fear! Ignoring the need to explain and justify my actions.
The character of a young child is the most pure form of honest observation and sincere opinion. A no frills attitude, my 5-year-old son sees everything and everyone at face value.
Mind games do not exist yet, nor hidden agendas.
Admiring each of my children, I wonder at what age I wandered off the path of my true desires and strongly want to avoid imposing my own views and altering their youthful sparkle.
Have you held on to the dreams you had a child? If not, what is holding you back?
I guess I didn’t let those childhood dreams go, but I certainly buried them deep.
I was heavily influenced by the voices of others and let their goals for me become my own. This is something that can completely change the course of a person’s life and from which it can be quite difficult to recover.
Thank you for sharing your experience and for reminding us that while we can’t change our past, we can certainly change the course of our future.
Roxanne,
Thank you so much for sharing. Yes, my passions were buried deep and it has taken many years to unearth them and revive them! There is always hope for any dream. You just have to believe in yourself and START. That is often the hardest part of change… :) -elizabeth