The wisdom of children

Multi-tasking is the norm for many of us... We’re talking on the phone while we answer e-mails, make dinner, sort the washing, playing with our children, watch television, or even have a conversation with someone else or any combination of the above... We try to go harder and faster and quicker but at what cost? Where exactly is we’re trying to get to with all this rushing?

Children may have more to teach us than we think... Having coffee with a friend recently I was struck by just how utterly absorbed her toddler was in playing in the garden. All he was doing was filling up a watering can and emptying it over and over and over again, all the while laughing out loud at what he was doing and the miracle of it all. It seemed to me he was in a timeless moment and there was nothing else in the world that existed for him at that point apart from him, the water and the watering can. As I sat watching him it occurred to me how many of us can truly say that we’re whole heartedly engaged in what is right in front of us in that same spirit of playfulness and curiosity?

When was the last you had an attitude of a child? When children play they are curious, engaged and fully in the moment.

As adults we are so often caught up in the stories of our past and the projected fears of our future that we mostly miss what is actually going on right here, right now.

There is a wonderful quote which says, ‘Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the PRESENT.’ by Babatunde Olatunji, a drummer, educator, social activist and recording artist.

The sad fact is that many of us are not present in our present. So, my challenge to you is to take one activity that you have to do tomorrow and approach it like a child, with an attitude of playfulness and curiosity and just see what happens… Observe yourself and how it makes you feel. What do you notice that you’ve never noticed before? Being curious changes the energy which can change the experience.

Sometimes slowing down actually gets more done as we really experience what’s going on in and around us and this can help us make better decisions about what to do next. It can be the difference between reacting to the drama or responding to what is going on. Slowing down can take us out of our heads and into our hearts and our bodies.

Imagine if you lived that way more and more how different could your world be? This can be challenging to do on our own when we are so caught up in our worlds. We can want to change but not know how. Coaching can provide you with a safe, confidential space to help you consciously create your world. How exciting would that be? What would you have in your world?