How I Learned to Be Fearless & Play Like a Child (Again)
I’m having more fun than I’ve ever had in my adult life
image credit: Lexica
When you’re a child, you’re fearless.
You climb trees, roll around, and do crazy things an adult may never imagine doing.
As you grow up, you’re told:
“You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“Don’t do that. You’ll break something.”
And so, you stop doing it. The spirit of your inner child has been broken and you forget how free you were.
I haven’t done a cartwheel in over 15 years. But the other day, I decided I wanted to do it again.
I pulled out a mat, put my hands on the ground, and promptly fell on my face. A giant bruise formed where my thigh landed on the ground.
A funny thing happened.
I didn’t cry. I didn’t whine. I laughed. A big, deep belly laugh.
The simple act made me feel like I was a kid again.
The next day, I practiced doing forward rolls and getting comfortable being upside down.
I had more fun than I’ve ever had in my adult life.
I was so scared to do it, but once I did, I found myself giggling and doing it again and again.
I have a habit of taking life too seriously. I get stuck in my head, wondering what I enjoy and what I want to do. I’m bogged down by my own imposed stress and obligations.
Adults have this way of making life seem so serious. You have to do this or do that. “Be responsible.” “You can’t do that.” “Be realistic.”
It chips away at you until you live a boring, miserable, mediocre life.
I lived that way for over ten years until I hit rock bottom. I was in the hospital for three months.
The last couple of years have been a slow but steady climb up. And this past week, I felt a huge mindset shift.
It happened while I was tumbling.
Playing and having fun made me question how I was living my life. It’s not a bad life, but my hangups get in the way of me doing things I enjoy.
Expectations and judgment get in the way.
But what if I gave that up?
There are no rules to life, only the ones imposed on you. But that doesn’t mean you must follow them or make the rules real.
The limits of life are endless.
Things that seem like a big deal are minuscule in the grand scheme.
I’ve lost a handful of loved ones in the past ten years. Every time, it sends a potent reminder that I am going to die.
There’s no way around it. It just is.
If I’m going to die and rules don’t exist, why do I feel like I’m losing at an unwinnable game?
Because that was my belief, but beliefs aren’t reality. It’s a reality based on my beliefs, which means I can change it.
The world or what we call “reality” is run by belief not facts. — Eddy Quan
The only way you win at life is by taking it into your hands and doing more things that matter to you.
There is no rule saying your life has to be a certain way. Your beliefs can cage you in or set you free.
I don’t want to go the rest of my life avoiding it. Life is meant to be lived.
I wasn’t born to sit around, watch Netflix on the couch, be depressed, and live a subpar life. And neither were you.
Life is what you make of it.
So make it good.
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