A few weeks ago, I decided to take the day off. It was a rainy Tuesday, and I wanted to wrap myself up in blankets, light every candle in my living room, and pour through old photo albums and notebooks. I was feeling mighty nostalgic, as I always do when we transition into the end of the year.
As I flipped through my 1st grade diary, it occurred to me that life moves so quickly. How is it that I could thumb through these pages that my tiny hands had touched, and they still looked so new, as if they were created just yesterday?
Life never stops moving.
After pondering the fleeting nature of time for a while, I realized something else:
1st graders are awesome!
Check out some of my 1st grade diary entries:
My diary got me thinking…
Obviously, we all want this year to be our best year yet. What if we allowed our 1st grade self to have a say?
Your 1st grade self is full of wonder, awe and excitement.
Your 1st grade self enjoys learning and exploring.
Your 1st grade self loves to play.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be more like that? Really. Wouldn’t it?
When you look back on your year at the end of the year, what will it look like…
…if you celebrated in anticipation of celebrating?
…if you were inspired all day by the rainbow you saw?
…if you decided that play was as important as pay?
…if you’d treated 2013 like it was the year to really go for it?
The following exercise will change your entire year for the better. Ready?
FIRST:
Take out a photo of yourself from roughly age 6-8 and put it in a prominent place. For the next week, you’ll be consulting this Little One, so you’ll want to have the photo handy. If you don’t have a photo, have a picture of her cute little self in your mind. Let’s hand her the mic for a moment…
Nisha circa 1984
THEN:
Ask “her” each of the following questions, and write down the answer. Relax and go with the flow, here. Don’t overthink and overanalyze the answers – she’s in 1st grade, for goodness’ sake!
1. What would be really fun this year?
2. What would be really boring this year?
3. What should I pay attention to?
4. What do you need?
NEXT:
Being the grown-up that you are, it will be your job to find a way to listen to this wisdom and provide what’s needed. Does she want to stomp in puddles? Dance more? Spend less time on the computer? Feel loved and listened to? Stop being so self-critical and just go for it? Your responsibility is to find a way to create more of that…for “her”…for you.
FINALLY:
For the next week, keep consulting with this Little One. She’s clever, and knows how to have fun. You can do this by consulting with her when you are feeling sad or serious, or just because you want to learn to be more like her. I find it helps to put my hand on my heart and invite in that playful energy; after all, she is me.
By the way, here’s what my Little One had to say:
When there’s a thought to stop and smell flowers, always, always do it. Walk in the rain more. Eat only delicious things and lots of colorful foods. Take a month off and go be near palm trees. Drink coconut water from coconuts, not cartons. Don’t be on the computer too much — boring. Go outside every morning. Don’t worry. Make sure you tell people how much you love them. Spend time with people you laugh around. Pet more dogs. Learn to swim for real. Dance every day.
Life is happening now, and it’s here to be savored. Every moment is precious.
Love this! My 1st grade self was probably the most fun I’ve ever been so consulting with her can just never be a bad thing 🙂
Danielle, me too! We get so serious and forget to have fun. Life is happening now! Have fun playing more and keep me posted on what adventures unfold 🙂
My 6-year-old self bought a mini trampoline yesterday, found it a pain to assemble, and is returning it to get a high quality $300 trampoline because she thinks she’s worth it. She’s looking forward to jumping on a trampoline every day. Weee!
Sa-weet! Nice one, Karlene. You’re totally worth it. xo
Nisha this was such an awesome post! You rock! Go spend a month by palm trees and I will get asking my inner 1st grader what she thinks would be neat.
Awesome!!!!!!!!! xo
Thank you, Beth! What did she say?
I can’t tell you how much I love this! I have quite a few women connecting to their little girls in my Soul Beauty group! It’s been amazing! I’m sharing this post with them! Thanks, Nisha!
Thanks, Christy! I love the good work you’re doing, sister. xo
Love this mama. My inner child said to go out more, have fun, get something sparkly, play with friends, go outside, and make pretty and fun things 🙂
I can totally imagine your inner Little One saying that. So sweet 🙂
I love it!! I always find the joy in listening to what the little ones have to say – they are so wise!! xo
This is a fabulous post I love how it just reminds us just go back to that loving child. Ah fabulous!
My six year old self would definitely want me to dance more. Dance was my passion for the longest time and I just grew out of it. I think it’s time to rediscover my passion, for both me and my inner child. 🙂
I absolutely, positively LOVE THIS! It’s SO incredibly true and important to tap into who we were when we were younger as we seem to lose that innocence and sense of awe! What a great post! <3
Nisha, I love this post! I used to be a first grade teacher, and seven year-olds are my absolute favorite. They are self-aware enough to know what their goals are, but haven’t lost their sense of humor, levity, and spontaneity. I still spend all day with kids, which helps me maintain many aspects of that age 7 outlook. I recently came across a story I wrote in second grade, and it really inspired me to write more. So far it’s just been more blog posts and blog post comments, but at least it’s something!