5 things I have learned from my kids
In today’s post, I’d like to share a little introspection about what I have learned from my kids. I am a strong believer that those lovely creatures can teach us some of the most important things. You don’t need to be a parent yourself to relate to those statements, only to be able to get back into your child’s heart and stop thinking that as adults we are the ones that know everything!
Here are 5 important things that my kids taught that we should apply to our adult life:
1- They can change the world with a smile. Smiling and happiness are contagious. In fact, sharing a smile and laughing can have awesome impacts on you. Get in a place where everybody is sad and negative. Heavy and unpleasant environment right? Now the opposite, take a look at what is happening when you start smiling or get into a place where everybody’s having fun. Instantly you start to feel light and alive. Is it that hard to start smiling? Yes, we need to take a step back from the “social media / virtual life” and start interacting with humans!!!
Take a look at the video about the hidden power of smiling.
2- Time doesn’t count. What happened 3 minutes ago or what will happen next, a kid doesn’t really care. They are living 100% at the moment. They don’t worry about what they are going to do next weekend, what they’re going to wear tomorrow, what’s the weather’s gonna be like during their vacations or even if they are gonna get likes and shares on the next social media post!
Have you ever seen a child getting bored? Not mind!!! Not living in the past with regrets or in the future with expectations will reduce your daily stress and anxiety. In fact, this is also an amazing way to achieve big goals (simply by concentrating your attention on the small step at the time). Living in the moment is where you can appreciate the beauty of what is really going in on. Give it a try and don’t let all the adult life pressure take all over your mind!
3- The best things are the simple and the less expensive. I remember this statement from a friend when people were asking him about what present they should get for his daughter’s birthday. The answer was systematical: something cheap that we would bother throwing into the garbage after 2-3 days! I do feel the same way, my kids are playing a little bit with bigger toys, but can play for days with drawings of a princess or a fire truck. My point is only to show you that most of the time handcrafted and inexpensive stuff, will have huge positive outcomes. You shouldn’t scale happiness by the size and the cost of an action or a gift. Why not focus on true and deep values instead of only the superficial and material things.
4- They don’t care about getting judged. If my daughter wants to dress like a princess to go out, should I be aware of what others will think about her dress? If she feels good the way she is, why should I be embarrassed? Am I a bad father to let her be a child? I do believe that the fear of getting judged is a dream destroyer. The outside opinion is taking too much importance in our personal life. I don’t want to regurgitate an old post about living your dream or building other people’s dreams. Simply be inspired by kids and the “I don’t give a ___ about what other people think, as long that it makes sense in my world!”
5- They request mental presence, not toys! This is an interesting point!!! No matter how big and expensive an activity of a present will be, nothing will replace a physical and mental presence. The first time I experienced it was in my first year as a dad. My son wasn’t breastfed anymore and required me to fall asleep. I’ve quickly noticed that the more I was thinking about my annoying/ obligation things, the longer he was fighting to fall asleep. He was agitated and doing everything to get my full mental attention. He toughs me that the most important when I’m with him is to be 100% with him! Try it with your partner, family or friends. Next time you share time with them, stop looking at what is happening in your virtual life and make this particular moment an unforgettable one!
Smiling, living in the moment or acting without the idea of getting judged doesn’t relate to any economic class, geographer, race gender or level of ambition you can be. Those are simple states of mind that will make you live a healthier, fulfilled and happier life.
Start smiling thru the weekend!
Cheers
PP Jutras