Child spirit made all children—that we all were once—unstoppable to win our world of ambitions. Can we regain our child spirit and start rejoicing in this journey called life?
When we’re children, we spent 6-12 months crawling in pursuit of standing up and start walking. We kept trying crawling and standing up, only to fall each time. But we never gave up. We were also not ashamed to throw our hands at others or cry out loud as a gesture of asking for their help – Like we’re asking them to hold our hands and help us stand up and take steps. Baby steps.
As people around and our loved ones held our hands to help us stand up and walk, we kept falling and failing. But we never gave up on our determination to take steps. And, to walk. And, to run.
Finally, after months of crawling, falling, and multiple failed attempts to walk, the miracle happened in our lives. We finally were able to stand up on our feet, take steps, and walk. While that’s not a perfect walk, we were able to walk. We learned the skill of walking. Next few years, we made consistent efforts to perfect our walking skills. And then we started running too.
For all children that we all were once, walking was probably the hardest nut to crack. Yet, we all did it.
But how? How were we able to crack the hardest nut as children?
There are a few good notable factors.
Because no one told us that walking is too tough to learn. And even if someone did, we had not understood!
Because we believed in our ability that we could learn to walk. That we could run too. We had that unshakable faith and confidence within.
Because we were not ashamed to fall thousands of times before finally standing up and trying again-and-again was fun, not frustration. And, we were humble enough to ask for help from others.
Because we didn’t care to give a damn about what people around would think of us if we fell again. We’re okay to let people laugh at us.
All these positive childhood factors culminated into child spirit that made us unstoppable and powerful enough to win our world of ambitions, let alone walking.
Then, we grew up, of course.
What happened when we grew older?
Perhaps, people around told us that the new thing we are trying to learn and do is too tough to happen. And we believed.
Perhaps, we started questioning our very own ability and capability to tackle that task, and that seems to be a monster now. Out of doubt, we stopped taking action and lost the unshakable faith and confidence within we once had.
Perhaps, we became too proud and reputed to fail ever again. And now, not trying feels safer than falling. Failing is not fun anymore but a source of frustration. Failing is not an opportunity to start over anymore but a source of shame.
Perhaps, we started giving too much damn to what people around us would think of us if we tried and ended up making a fool out of ourselves. We’re no longer okay to let people laugh at us. People laughing at us and our failed attempts is a matter of big offense and defamation now.
Growing up and growing older, perhaps a bit of all these “grown-up-factors” came together to reframe us into fragile and broken beings who can’t attempt enough. Those who can’t hit restart enough. Those who can’t try enough.
Perhaps, all of that happened to us.
Now what?
Is there any chance we can regain that child spirit again with which we’re ready to win the world?
Fortunately, yes.
We’re never too old to be a child again. We’re never too grown-up to rejoice in child spirit.
VISHNU GOYAL
Thanks to the learn-unlearn-relearn cycle, we all have the ability to let go of unwanted stuff in our lives, develop good habits, and indeed, regain our child spirit.
With child spirit, we can win any obstacle, let the negative voices come in through one ear and get out through the another, regain confidence and faith in our abilities, find fun in failing and starting over, and find happiness in the journey more than in the achievement.
We’re never too old to be a child again. We’re never too grown-up to rejoice in child spirit. Let’s not let the child within us die. Let the child spirit within us sustain. And let’s keep doing good stuff.
Cheers to child spirit!
Vishnu Goyal
Keep Doing Good Stuff
[P.S. You are amazing. Let no one tell you otherwise.]
Just one of the 8 billion people here living on planet Earth, spending most of my time creating and growing and helping others create and grow in pursuit of an imperfect life, raising livinity, and building one carefree world.