Do Something Your Seven-Year-Old Self Would Thank You For

How often do we fill our days and years with things that are purely practical and responsible? We pay the bills, do the chores, and go to work. We fulfill our various obligations, running from one to another frantically, trying to just hold it all together. But do we ever do things that are fun just because they're fun?  

Prioritizing Productivity

I think that when many of us became adults, we felt the need to squash that little part of ourselves that just wants to have fun.

In the chaos and busyness of our adult lives, we let grocery shopping, paying bills, and mowing the lawn get in the way of doing anything that feeds our souls. We focus so much on the immediate that we neglect the important.

Is that how we really want to spend our lives? Living just to cross things off our never-ending to-do lists, running ourselves ragged, focusing on accomplishing the next thing, and then the next thing, and the thing after that?

I want my life to be more than just a series of productive activities. And I suspect that you do, too.

Dreaming About a Better Way

But what would happen if we didn't take ourselves-- or our lives-- quite so seriously?

What would happen if we gave ourselves permission to act like kids once in a while? What if we just set aside our to-do lists for a couple of hours, put our phones away, and did something that just makes us happy?

I think our lives would be far more joyful. And who doesn't want that? I know I could use some more joy and levity in my life.

Do something your 7-year-old-self would thank you for.

Go for a bike ride. Jump in a puddle. Sing at the top of your lungs. Blow on a dandelion…yes, even at the risk of getting those awful weeds in your yard. -Megan, No Small Life

What Would Seven-Year-Old You Do?

Have you lost touch with your inner child? I know I have at times gone quite a while without indulging in anything that's just purely fun because it doesn't fulfill any of the "adult" requirements of productivity, achievement, or responsibility. I have let responsibility and productivity overshadow and take priority over living a joyful life.

But I want to change that. I want to purposefully incorporate more fun into my life to counteract the tendency I have to take things too seriously. It's hard to be stressed and overwhelmed when you're swinging high on the swingset, drawing with chalk on the driveway, or making a friendship bracelet.

Today I encourage you to do something your inner child would thank you for. Play hide-and-seek. Jump rope. Play hop scotch. Go on a scavenger hunt. Find shapes in the clouds.

What child-like activities do you like to do just because they're fun? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

Further Reading:

16 Simple Ways to Celebrate Life This Week by Megan, No Small Life

Lessons from a Three Year Old by Jennifer Ueckert, (in)courage