Lessons from Little People

by Teresa Slack www.teresaslack.com
This is the most fun time of year to have kids in your life. No way you can be a Grinch while witnessing the wonder and excitement on their faces as they take in all the sights and sounds of the season.

So what can we learn from them as we consider the goals we set back at the launch of 2011 and the realization of how short we've come in reaching those goals?

(I don’t remember where or when I first stumbled across this list. I made a few tweaks to apply it to writing, but you can apply it to any goal setting or dream building you want. I hope it encourages and inspires you to try something new today.)

1. Everything can be a game. Add a little fun to your writing. Compete with yourself. Aim for personal records. You might find something that works no one else has ever thought of.

2. Don't walk when you can run. Every day is full of opportunities to increase your productivity. Don’t hold back. Don’t be afraid of breaking the rules. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Just take off and enjoy the wind in your hair.

3. If you don't like it, don't write it. Don’t write what you think the market is looking for. By the time your book is written, tastes and trends would’ve changed anyway. Write a book you would want to read.

4. Laughter feels good. Kids seem to inherently know that laughter can ease blood pressure, help your brain function, give you energy, and help you reach your goals.

5. Playtime is important. We get so caught up in work, and "have-to's" that we forget to take time for ourselves. Not only does relaxing make life worthwhile, it has real health benefits.

6. The world should be full of color. Splash your life and experiences with as many colors as possible. Try new things. It will benefit everything you put your hand to.

7. It's always more fun with friends around. Children tend to gravitate toward other children. It gives them spirit and makes them want to play all day. Whatever you’re striving for, find a group that understands what you’re shooting for and will support you in it.

8. Adventures are found outside, not inside. Every kid knows that the good stuff is in the great outdoors--fresh air, wide open spaces, limitless possibilities. You can't find those things cooped up in your tiny, stale office. Open the door and start a new adventure every day.

9. It's important to use your imagination. You can be Major Fantasia or Stupendous Woman any time you want. Give yourself permission to believe in your own super powers and let your mind take you wherever it wants to go.

10. Anything is possible. No fear, no self-doubts, no negative self talk, no self-criticism, no worries, no destructive anxieties or thoughts of failure. To a child, he/she can do anything. And do you know what? They're right.

11. You have your whole life ahead of you. Here's your chance to do it right.