Rediscover your inner child & get unstuck
Posted on May 05, 2016 by Lindsey Gemme, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
If you feel stuck in your life right now and you aren’t sure where your true passions lie, don’t be surprised if you need an injection of creativity.
A few months ago, I was in the throes of creating a new vision board.
I felt I had to start with really, REALLY being honest with myself about what hobbies or projects energize or fire me up. So, I started to brainstorm. I sat down with a pen and paper and wrote down the things that excite me in life. I surprised myself with a list of about 30 things.
That shouldn’t have been too much of a shocker, actually. I have this funny memory of when I was about 10-years-old and answering my mother about what I wanted to do when I grew up. My professional ambitions sounded like a three-ringed circus to her adult ears, and she said, “You can’t do all of that!”
But my child’s brain was not bound by time and space. My imagination told me there was a way.
“Of course I can,” I responded simply. “I’ll be a photographer on Monday, a teacher on Tuesday, a singer on Wednesday, an actress on Thursday, a writer on Friday…”
I had my life mapped out. As an adult looking back, though, I can see I didn’t follow through on most of them.
But what’s funny is that when I made my list of what excites me as an adult, all of those pursuits I rattled off as a child still made the top 15 for me today. It’s incredible how in touch with our true passions we are as children. Despite all of of my life experiences I’ve accumulated since my 10-year-old self, those simple ideas still invoked passion in my adult heart.
And what struck me was that most of those pursuits were creative in nature. Which I’ve found to be very common. So many of my clients find that the source of their discontent, feeling of “stuck”-ness or displeasure about themselves or their lives is almost always rooted in deferred self-expression or creativity.
So if you feel stuck in your life right now and you aren’t sure where your true passions lie, don’t be surprised if you need an injection of creativity. And what better way to get into that mindset than to think back to a time when your imagination and creativity was the most potent – your childhood!
To get those creative juices flowing, try this exercise:
- What are the top things that excite you in life (e.g. snowboarding, building computers, learning new things)? Write down as many as you can think of. Try using your non-dominant hand (left hand if you’re a right-hander and vice versa) to REALLY get your brain thinking in a different way.
- Which of those items you listed are things that you’ve wanted to do/be since childhood? Circle three to five of those items. Write down WHY you were passionate about this as a child. Tap into your emotional side.
- Ask yourself why you aren’t doing that, or what might be your hurdles in achieving that (fears, expectations, time-management, attitude)? Write about it.
- Ask yourself if you are you willing to let your passion and curiosity override your fear/lower your expectations/seek or ask for help to take something off of your plate so you have time?
- What one small thing can you do today that will move you in the direction of achieving or becoming one of those three to five items that won’t be hindered by your hurdles? Write that down.
- On a scale of 1-10, how sure do you feel that you can do this small thing? Seven or higher means go do it! Six or lower means make your goal step a little more bite-sized.
- When will you do this? (Be specific! e.g., Thursday, after dinner at 6 p.m., I will spend an 15 minutes doing _______ instead of watching TV). Write it down.
Go forth and indulge your inner personal passions, and love yourself for it!
Feel free to use this insight to create a reminder for yourself to chase after your dreams and keep you motivated. You can make a vision board using images or words. Journal or write a poem. Draw a picture, map, or design. Put it in a conspicuous place: On the wall near your bed, on the door you go in and out of, or where you brush your teeth. On the dashboard of your car. On your computer’s desktop, cell phone, or even on Facebook as your cover photo. You can even design a “mix tape” of music and sounds or make a mixed media project.
Whatever it is, make sure it’s using your most creative self, using whatever medium you choose. And it doesn’t have to be gorgeous, either. Only you are going to see it. Its purpose is not to be a perfect work of art. Its job is to be a constant reminder of the place you want to be and the person you wish to become.
Good luck, and be well!
