Childhood Imagination
This little insight is one that helps me to smile every day, it rekindles my curiosity and puts a sparkle in my eye. I hope it does the same for you too…
When a child is first born, they have no concept of the past or the future. They simply live.
As we grow, we accumulate “past” in the form of memories, and we learn about the concept of the “future”.
At a very young age though, children do not concern themselves with these trivialities, they simply get on with being and doing in the moment.
The imagination of a child is free and unconstrained.
The act of defining who we are based upon past events is something that we are taught how to do by the people that care for us. Yes, we naturally store memories, but how we fixate on these memories, and which memories we choose to use to shape our definition of who we are, is a learned ability.
We learn to constrain our imagination by rigidly defining who we are (or by accepting the definition imparted by others); forgetting that life is all about growth and change.
Fear
The same can be said about fear.
Fear is apprehension of events that may unfold in the future. The biological process that drives fear is instinctual, meaning that as humans, it is hard wired in to us. The triggers for the process however are learned. We learn to fear what life has taught us to fear.
Because it is learned, we can unlearn it too; change is possible.
Unlearning
A child’s imagination is free because it instinctually knows how to listen to itself and be honest with itself. We unlearn this ability as we grow because we are taught to listen to other people. We let the outside world define us and tell us what we should fear.
When we learn to look inside ourselves and rediscover the inner child that exists inside each one of us, we are then able to find the true definition of who we are.
Who we are, is found within us. It is not to be found outside.
Relearn what you already know but have just forgotten… how to listen.
Nurture your inner child and be free…
Where are they?
Do something silly that makes you feel embarrassed. Strip away the embarrassment (what you think about, what other people might think) and look at what is left…
A giggling little child without a care in the world.
The essence of the real you
If you want to unshackle your imagination to create a vision of the future that you truly desire, you need to please it and learn to listen to it everyday.
Look after your inner child and they will look after you.
Enjoy, for now.