Program Success 3 September 2017
By Kent James
CELL : ( 904 ) 566-6132 I EMAIL : kvjames32209 @ gmail . com BLOG : writerkvjames . blogspot . com
Rmember when you were young and the world was unknownpossibilities were endless and you were brimming with uncapped potential ? Remember looking up at the endless blue ky and daring to dream of exploring its unconfined space ? Nothing was too big or impossible . Remember having active creativity and an imagination as wide as that blue sky ? There once was a time when you could be Batman , Wonder Woman , a teacher , an astronaut and doctor-- all within the span of an hour . You could be anything . You could do anything . There ' s something powerful about being free to imagine yourself as a hero or a successful professional and then acting on it .
What happened to your superhero cape ? You stopped being superman and conceded to being perpetually stuck as Clark Kent . Why ' d you stop imagining and being creative ? What made you stop playing , growing and learning ?
Somewhere on our path to maturity and adulthood , our childlike optimism was crushed and we were sternly discouraged and prohibited from any exhibition of naivety , curiousness and pure joy . " Act your age !" we were told . We handed in our capes for responsibility . We traded it in for a heaping dose of mediocrity as we settled in and prepared for the stresses , heartache and anxiety of being a grown-up .
I am not making light of being an adult . It ' s serious business . We must work . We must pay bills . We get stuck in traffic . When we were young , the day belonged to us ; now we are accountable to an increasingly large multitude of investors-in our personal lives and in the workplace . The drudgery of life is often overwhelming with no end in sight . So how does one maintain a positive outlook , creativity and the capacity to dream big ?
The answer to the conundrum lies in this belief: don ' t act your age ! I ' m not telling you not to work or pay bills ; and by all means , please don ' t saunter through the grocers wearing a long red cape ! However , when you abandon your childhood , you unwittingly leave behind so many important qualities that could easily enhance your adult life , too . Indulge in a moment of self-reflection about your childhood , for therein you ' ll find three basic activities that made being a child so wonderful , boundless and exciting .
1 . WONDER AND WANDER !
Free yourself. Perhaps your schedule doesn ' t allow for week-long excursions abroad very often , but how about becoming a habitual weekender ? If you ' re like me , your Saturdays are spent doing chores and running errands . Perhaps it ' s possible to consolidate your chores and errands time on Saturdays open to explore and enjoy the city . This doesn ' t take a great deal of money as there are many free activities such as parks , estate sales , etc . And if you ' re so inclined , perhaps there are neighboring cities that are perfect for overnight getaways . I love these because they ' re very close to home , less expensive and they don ' t require missed time from work .
2 . PLAY !
Socialize . Join a walking group . Meet up with friends . Go places . Tour local ( or not-so-local ) sites . An acquaintance once told me that he ' d drive to another city or state just to enjoy a good meal at a nice restaurant . Enjoy your life and don ' t feel guilty about it .
3 . LEARN AND GROW !
My local school board sends out mailers that advertise community courses currently offered at schools in my district . I usually throw these out , thinking I don ' t have time to take a course . Last week , I took a moment to peruse through one and I was thrilled to read about the sixweek ( some longer , some shorter ) courses in computers , forei gn languages , cake baking , gardening and more . Events like these are great for keeping your creativity alive and also serve as a catalyst for engaging others !
Inward Focus Outward Purpose Kent James Act Your Age Jacksonville Florida September 2017