Don’t grow up, it’s a trap.
My 5 reasons to remain a child forever.
Adulting is a term that’s become very popular among us millennials, and we tend to make fun of us on social media all the time relating to this subject. This is because we’re feeling the stress of affronting adult life and its responsibilities.
For example, comparing us vs our parents; seeing everything they had “accomplished” at our current age vs what we have. But how can we, when our earnings have stayed pretty much the same as prior generations but our expenses (result of inflation, etc…), have only increased?
So in commemoration of Mexico’s kids day, I’ll like to share 5reasons I’ve learned in my almost 30 years of life to remain a child, and never grow up in this adulting life.
1. Stop comparing!
This is hard! We’re a very competitive generation, there’s even a Forbes 30 under 30 list focused on showcasing people below 30 who are already “successful”, and that makes us look at ourselves and say “damn, what am I doing wrong?”. But maybe we should analyze what “being successful” means? The thing is, that success looks very different for every person; for some it may be to earn 600 millions annually, being famous, or having the fastest growing start up, but for others it may be finishing college, having kids, sustaining a family or even owning a house. So why compare based on a single pilar? I believe competition is very healthy to grow, but we have to learn what fights to fight and which ones not to.
Kids don’t compare, they just walk towards what they feel will make them happy, they even fight for it; but they don’t suffer because they don’t have what they’re not pursuing, and even when they suffer for something they want, that suffering doesn’t last, they forget about it later.
So fight for your dreams and plans but don’t panic, as I read somewhere: you’re not late, you’re not early.
2. Don’t be afraid, just try.
My husband was joking with a friend the other day, telling all the “dumb stuff” they did as kids, and how they had “survived”, they closed their tell by saying “we were so brave, I wouldn’t do that now”. And immediately I thought of all the things I had done and wouldn’t now, and why wouldn’t I. I wouldn’t because now I acknowledge the risks and dangers, which makes me wiser and that’s good, the problem is that we tend to think more about this than the gains and possibilities. That’s what we do as adults, and as a result we make decisions based on the negative possibility. So don’t! Risk it, try it, it may go wrong, but it may go well. There’s no other way things will happen but to do them. Prepare yourself and be ready to jump on the opportunity wagon of life.
3. Enjoy the little things.
I have to inform you that I love the instagram account @momimfine and obviously I admire Jonathan Kubben. With that said, it would be no surprise to admit that I entered Clubhouse just to hear his talks. In one, he said that success was a failure, because when he achieved something he really wanted he felt good that day but disappointed the next. And the conversation with the other people on the panel went that way and why that happens to all of us. I’ll summarize it, basically it’s because of the thrill of the chase. We enjoy everything we do to accomplish our goal, but once we get it there’s nothing more to do, so our excitement dies and we must find something new to pursue.
When we’re kids, our goal is to play, discover, enjoy and we find that everywhere. Give a two years old a new toy, and he or she will rather play with the box containing it. So look around, you’ll notice you’ve accomplished so much! Think about your happy memories, most of them aren’t the ones with big trascendental actions, but small, simple ones that fill your heart. Don’t waste your life expecting that one thing to be happy.
4. Allow yourself to be amazed, and keep learning.
If you’re a millennial, you’ve left your adolescent years behind (hopefully), which means you’ve gone through the “I know it all” and “life is so basic” phase. Good! Because life has too many wonders to even try to pretend to know it all.
My grandma (R.I.P.) learnt how to text when SMS started because she was amazed by how life had turned and the multiple possibilities of this new wonder. Just as kids, this is how they see life. Bedtime stories, fake volcanoes, light bulbs from potatoes, beans on wet cottons, all of this is exciting, because there’s an adventure on every corner. This allows them to keep learning, to absorb everything, and eventually come with new ideas. We, adults, tend to feel like we know that already, but if we let ourselves be amazed by life itself again not only can we perform better at work, or be a cool grandma, our life will become so much more interesting as well.
5. Have fun!
I always joke with my mom by saying to her “I miss when, what would Santa bring me this Christmas?, was my only concern”. Because at that age I didn’t realize what it meant that Santa could “come” that year to my house. Now that I know, a long list of concerns stresses my life. We all live like that. Because well, life (and this world) is full of dark as well as light. And we get caught up in that, but we also forget that life is just a moment, that is too short and it can end any minute for ourselves or our loved ones. So have fun. Laugh at yourself for the dumb thing you did, choose a lifestyle that fulfills you, share what you have because it dobles the fun, be sad when something bad happens, but get up the next day heal the wound and keep playing, concern about the world and find ways to bring joy to it. Just have fun, and share it.
