There’s a child inside of you who holds the key to your greatest dreams.While he/she may be temporarily frightened by other people and events, he refuses to let go of those dreams.He tugs at your leg for attention. He whines for you to notice him. He whispers in your ear of all that you can be.
Sometimes you’d just like him to go away with all of that silliness. You try to tell him that he’s totally out of touch with reality. That he’s got his head in the clouds. That he’s really not being rational and thinking things through clearly. However, all of your reasoning and intellectualizations fall on deaf ears. He does not want to hear all of your “good” arguments about why he should just let go and shut up!
He’s too persistent to suddenly just be quiet. He’s determined to get noticed. He absolutely refuses to give up. All of your attempts at talking reason with him thankfully don’t work! Others have told him “the facts” and pointed out the limits of what’s possible. When he’s ignored them, they’ve tried to embarrass and put him down. He’s not interested in their “impossibles” or their own self-limits. He does not understand the word “can’t.” He doesn’t really care if others laugh at his dreams, just as long as YOU don’t!
He just wants you to consider the possibilities. He wants to show you all that he can do. He wants you to lose the harsh critic, the negative naysayer and the self-consciousness. He intuitively knows that all of them are totally wrong. Deep down he knows that you’re just simply scared.That’s OK with him though! He can accept your fear, but he won’t allow it to stop him! He will not quit until he’s gotten your FULL attention. His spirit can’t be broken. While he can easily get knocked off of his feet, he refuses to stay down. His resiliency and tenacity are awe inspiring. His enthusiasm is refreshing and boundless.
Harness your child within. Learn to listen to and trust him/her. He will never lie to you, never lead you astray. Let that child within guide you to your dreams.
When I first wrote these words, two weeks after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, my youngest daughter Julee announced to our family that she wanted to become an Olympian in swimming and gymnastics! She had no way of knowing that the athletes competing in the Atlanta Games had begun their Olympic quest with this same kind of “silly” and “irrational” child-like pronouncement. Julee was listening to that child within. She was in close contact with her.
How about you? Are you really listening to the intuitive wisdom of that child within?
