7 Childlike Traits We Should Recapture To Live A Happier Life
Although we cannot recapture our youth, we can try to cultivate the kind of traits that we had as children.
When we were children, we dreamed of growing up to be adults. When we reach adulthood, the stress of life can make us wish we were back to being a kid again. Although we cannot recapture our youth, we can try to cultivate the kind of traits that we had as children. Children are some of the happiest and fulfilled individuals you will ever meet, and I think adults can learn a great deal from the attitudes of these miniature human beings. Through age we may gain wisdom and discernment, but we can also lose our childlike passion for living. Here are some “childlike” characteristics that you should recapture to live a better life.
- Curiosity – Children are incredibly curious. They can ask 1,000 questions, and after those have been answered they will have 1,000 more to ask. Curiosity is a trait that is lacking in many of our adults and I think it’s a tragedy. Curiosity opens doors mentally, breeds creativity, and spurs imagination. Become curious like a child and the world will open itself up to you.
- Excitement – Kids can get excited about….anything. Every activity is a new adventure, a new opportunity to explore, a new fun and interesting challenge. Imagine if all adults brought a child like energy to their workplaces, their organizations, and the pursuit of their own goals? We would definitely see a sharp increase in productivity and innovation. Many adults are simply no longer excited to live, and are simply going through the motions to pass time. This is no way to live life. Use the perspective of a child to re ignite the passion for life you once possessed.
- Faith – Ask a child what they want to be when they grow up. Not only will they have an answer for you, but also they will be confident and certain that they can become it. We tell our children that if they put their minds to it they can do and achieve anything they desire, yet we neglect to give ourselves that same advice. Somewhere along the line doubt and uncertainty are introduced into our lives. Many adults are afraid to try a diverging path for fear of failure. Develop the faith of a child and use it to take the leaps necessary to live a successful and rewarding life.
- Trust – Children trust their parents fully. They need to trust because they rely on other people for their well-being. As adults we grow cynical and paranoid of others. I’m not saying you should simply trust everyone, because there are people who do not have your best interests at heart, but you should be more apt to trust others in general. As human beings we need others in our lives to be fulfilled, so let your guard down a little bit and allow people to have a place in your heart and in your life, it’ll make you a happy person.
- Wonder – Children are seemingly amazed by something new every five minutes. It doesn’t matter where they are, they can become entranced by the simplest objects and environments. As adults, I think we begin to lose sight of the truly amazing planet we have the privilege of living on. The day-to-day monotonous routine distracts us from the fact that we live on a planet that is a tiny dot in a galaxy, that is one of hundreds of billions of galaxies. Take a look up from your smartphone and observe nature, look up at the sky at night when a full moon is out. The world is a pretty cool place when you take the time to observe it with wonder.
- Short memory – A child can go from having a face with tears streaming down their face one minute, to having an ear-to-ear grin the next. Kids don’t analyze past experiences in detail like we do as adults. Whatever problems they had during the day are erased by a good nights sleep, and the next morning they are reset. We as adults need to develop the ability to let things go and just live, like our children do. Life is way too short to let past pains, betrayals, and disappointments linger and marinate in our minds.
- Persistence – Kids don’t give up easily. Tell them no and they may continue to bug you incessantly until you give into their demands. They are natural salespeople, and can deal with objections and rejections better than a top professional. Develop the persistence of a child when attempting to tackle your goals and ambitions. Don’t give up until you get what you want.
