Getting Back in Touch With That Inner Child
One of the common themes of this site has been navigating the varying circumstances of young adulthood.
As someone who is now 29 and about to turn 30, I can see how it can be easy to get swallowed up by the responsibilities of paying bills, working, and developing professionally.
I know for me personally, maintaining a healthy balance with that has been a big part of my journey.
There were so many instances where I found myself sacrificing social festivity and fun so that I could stay disciplined and on track throughout my 20s.
Sometimes it really is important to take a step back and remind yourself that there is more to life than just striving and working hard.
Taking a Drive
One of the nice things about my area is that it has stayed fairly similar from the time I was a child.
When I take a drive into town, the shopping centers are the same as when I would come up to them with my parents on the weekends as a kid.
When I first became an adult and started doing things such as buying my own clothes and running my own errands, it was nice to have a new relationship with the parts of town I was familiar with from childhood.
For the couple of years that I was only using my electric bike to get around, I didn’t really get to see those sides of town as often.
As much as my neighborhood has parks and plazas that have been there since I was young, there’s been something refreshing about being able to head out miles away to see sights that are old and familiar but feel also feel novel.
More recently it has helped me get back in touch with younger versions of myself.
Having Fun
For me personally, I wasn’t the type of kid that was all that concerned about being “the best.”
For most of my childhood most of my joy just came from being able to do things like hang out with my friends, play sports, play video games, or listen to music.
Things like how much money I had, how my performance in school measured up to my peers, or other things of that nature weren’t as much of a priority.
As I’ve gotten older I have taken a lot of initiative to maintain the right balance.
Even if I’m not out at the latest social gatherings, running with the crowds, and so on, I can still be taking time to do things like play a video game, listen to a new album, or watch a basketball game.
Things that allow me to keep in touch with who I am in a way that is relaxing, and that doesn’t reinforce some type of mindset that I always have to be hustling to be happy.
Making The Right Choices
As I’ve gotten older and am making selections based on things like what I want to do for work or who I want to be associated with socially, I also am looking at it from the perspective of what aligns with me in a spirit of youthfulness.
I have heard many friends talk about “getting old”, often times at the age of 27, 28, or 29.
For me it’s been a process of discovering ways that I can continue to grow, become independent, and build while still remaining in touch with that inner child.
When I look at people such as professional athletes, musicians, or even some entrepreneurs I recognize that many of these people are folks who have hit that nail on the head.
In fact, some of the people that I look up to the most have expressed that what they do for work is actually “play.”
Sometimes I take a moment just to take a step back and ask myself “what would the younger version of me have wanted the older version of me to look like?”
As long as I am staying in touch with that, I am doing pretty well in my book.
