Dance Like a Kid at a Wedding!
Finding inspiration in the world we live in!
"The true test of character is how we behave when we don't know what to do." -- John Holt
"It takes as much courage to have tried and failed as it does to have tried and succeeded." -- Anne Morrow Lindbergh
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." -- Abraham Lincoln
"Daddy, I want to be a Dinosaur Doctor that dances and live on a farm with lots of animals, because I like to do all these things." - Carolyn Carrithers, 4-years-old
A few weeks ago we returned from a fun trip to New York. Carolyn, Hannah (her 2-year-old sister), Kristy and I went to a wedding. It was such fun to watch the girls really enjoy themselves at the wedding (their first). They were all dressed up (yes in matching outfits), they took it all in.
What really made me stop and think was when they were out on the dance floor dancing. They had such an intensity about their movements, their twirling, their speed. They were focused and lost to the world around them. They never took notice of the 300 other people, watching, laughing and enjoying watching them dance. They just danced because they loved to dance. A big dance floor, a live band and pretty dresses that made it even more fun to twirl. (Hey, an idea for parents, we should rent a hall and get a live band and have a sock hop for 2- to 7-year-olds, great baby sitting concept?)
I thought to myself, "Isn't that great. Such ease of fun, such enjoyment in the doing. No care to what others think. No fear of right or wrong. No self doubt of should I, could I, can I. Just the joy of doing, of trying, of living the moment." Their 2 1/2 hours of dancing brought so much happiness to themselves and to those watching, almost as if we - the big people - wished we could dance with such joy and abandonment.
The next day we went into NYC to the Museum Of Natural History (everyone needs to go there with their kids) to see the world's largest Dinosaur exhibit. After the day trip into the city I asked Carolyn, so what do you want to be when you grow up? And in simple and direct terms she said the above statement. It made me realize that when a child is asked what they want to do they respond with what they like to do. They imagine a world where they get to do what they like, what is fun, what interests them. Somewhere between 4 and 20 years we shift from this great thinking to one of worry, fear, salary, position, title, limitations...
So a simple thought for you: think like a kid, feel like a kid, experience things like a kid - without fear, focused on the fun and the experience! Make life a dance, wear a pretty dress and go with the beat.
BusinessHive is a Saint Louis based consulting services business focused on developing people, products and distribution channels.
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