Sometimes looking into your past teaches you a lot. I just got to read a Readers Digest today – it was one of the books I used to read when I was a kid. Well, mainly for some tit-bits, comics and fun facts.
It stirred some childhood memories and just made me wonder what qualities I would like to keep from my childhood.
The creative adult is the child who has survived.
― Ursula K. Le Guin
Be inquisitive…
I am sure we all remember “Ooo, what does this button do?” from Dexter’s Lab.
Children are incredibly inquisitive and they just can’t get enough. At least, I was that way when I was a kid. Their favorite word – “Why?“. Unfortunately, down the lane their curiosity is stifled by “because I said so” – often because we find it kind of embarrassing to answer them with an “I do not know” ;).
Do not let these things change you. Get back to asking questions – however silly they may seem. It’s simple, the more you ask, the more your learn.
Think wild…
As we grow up, we slowly start talking about being “realistic”. Yes, it is a good thing to be practical – but do not let anything limit your imagination.
Have crazy ideas, and have the wildest imagination. Think big. Often, it’s these crazy ideas are the ones that make a difference.
Doodle and scribble…
The last pages of my books were reserved for doodling. It is amazing how creative you can get doing this. I still have the collection of my “greatest doodles”. They bring back great memories. Drawing is the most primitive means of expressing oneself. Perhaps the most intuitive of ways, at least for me.
Get a paper and a pen and start drawing stuff, represent your ideas. It helps you visualize your ideas better. It is also a great way to catalog your ideas.
Play with puzzles off your mobile…
I remember playing a lot of puzzles when I was a kid – the rubix cube, klotski, and there was this board game with marbles – the name of which escapes me. They made me think, they were challenging. It was a competition, not against anyone by against myself – every time, a challenge to do it better. These were games which would also help me improve myself.
It’s been a while since I played chess or any game that would challenge me – not just because I was not quick with the reflexes (like the jumping games or the fruit cutting games), but those which make me think for a while before I make the next move. Sometimes, I even get a little impatient – Hmmm… I think these games also improve your attention span – do they?
Anyways], take a puzzle board to a friend’s place, put your mobile aside and play against each other. I am sure that would be a pleasant change :).
Smile and spread the smile…
I don’t need to explain this. Kids have the greatest smiles and when they laugh, they really forget everything else and just let themselves go. That is what makes their laugh contagious. Growing up, some of us forget this, we become more serious – perhaps giving it the term responsibility.
Take time out for fun, observe and enjoy the little thing in life. At the same time, do everything to make people you love have that smile on their face.