Remember when you were a kid? You had almost no worries and it was all about making the most of each day. No one could control you and you didn’t take no for an answer. If you wanted something, you just did it even if it meant breaking the rules.

You never let opinions stop you from taking action and you tried new stuff all the time. Every day you were learning crazy new things that you never knew existed.

Then you got older. Society changed your priorities. You got rich. Or you bought a house. Or you got married. Or you had a family.

Then all of a sudden, you forgot how to take the best bits of being a kid and use them in your adult life. You stopped calling the shots as much and your creativity plateaued.

Here’s how to live like a kid again:

Fail like you have no idea what the word means.

As a kid, you had no idea what the word failure meant. As far as you were concerned, you were going to try things no matter what to see if you liked them. There was only exploring and no dead ends. You laughed when you thought there was such thing as girl / boy germs or when you found out Santa wasn’t real.

You didn’t give up on life; you just moved onto the next thing. Get back to trying stuff again and disconnect yourself from whether or not you’re deemed to be successful by someone else’s standards.

Fall over and get a scab on your leg or arm.

I can remember as a kid having a scab on my arm or leg every few months. I was continuously trying outdoor activities that could see me fall over and have a minor injury. To be honest, I haven’t had a scab anywhere on my body for more than a decade.

I’m willing to bet that a lot of you have been a long time between your last scab as well. Scabs are a metaphor for exploration. You get scabs by getting out into the great outdoors and exploring new sights and new scenery. Scabs are not a medical emergency; scabs are a symbol of someone who’s given it a shot.

Go get your next scab and be proud of it. Fall over. Wipeout. Feel the pain and enjoy it.

Ask so many questions that it becomes annoying.

Remember seeing a magician for the first time and having an endless number of questions? Remember how you drove your parents nuts because you refused to stop asking questions until they told you how the magician did their magic?

Asking lots of questions until it becomes annoying is how you get better at asking questions. Asking questions helps you to learn and connect with people. Questions build rapport. Questions are the key to effective communication.

You can never ask too many questions as an adult. Being inquisitive is rare and all your favorite entrepreneurs do it.

Don’t be afraid to look dumb.

“If you ask the question that everyone is thinking, but nobody has the courage to answer out of fear they could look stupid, you’ll become the people’s champion”

There’s no such thing as being dumb. Even if something is really obvious, you may not have been exposed to it before. It’s fine to want to know about something new for the first time. Screw how you look.

Try a new hobby every week.

You remember the days, don’t you? One week you were collecting baseball cards. Then you were going to be a soccer star. Then it was motorbikes. Then it was model trains maybe for a bit. Then you went to a school concert and saw an awesome band and decided to grow your hair long and become a rockstar.

Then what happened as an adult? You only did one or two hobbies. You stopped trying new hobbies even though you weren’t sure about the one or two that you’d “settled” for.

Maybe the reason why you’re feeling unhappy or unfulfilled is because you settled for the wrong hobby and quit exploring too soon. Maybe you were born to do something else. You’ll never know unless you start trying new hobbies again. You might surprise yourself now that you’re an adult.

Let your imagination run wild.

You’d play with your toys and pretend they were real. You’d pretend you were an archaeologist for a day and dig up the backyard looking for treasure. As a small boy, I remember building huge Lego cities in the living room and pretending to be the mayor. Whatever I could dream up, my loyal Lego workers had to build for me.

I came up with crazy roads that were borderline dangerous. I’d put buildings on top of each other and create entrances that only a rock climber could reach. I’d paint the entire town blue because it was my favorite color and I didn’t give care what the citizens of Timsville wanted.

Our imaginations were wild as kids. We saw the world differently. We could see the potential in even the smallest things.

Nothing was as it seems and anything was possible.

Then slowly we were told how the world is. We were told what to think and meanings were given to everything. These meanings became fixed labels that couldn’t be changed. If you didn’t conform to the labels, then you faced a life of uncertainty and pain.

Well I say that this very adult idea is the problem. I’m here writing these words because I believe I can inspire the world and I don’t care if people think I’m nuts. Whatever your crazy idea is, let your imagination take over again.

Imagination leads to creativity and creativity has the power to solve the worlds problems.

“Businesses will pay a lot of money for someone who can see the invisible and who is creative”

Don’t take no for an answer.

Your mother told you that you couldn’t have the ice cream. Did you ever accept her answer?

Hell no. You kept nagging her until she said yes. No never means no. You can’t give up the first time you don’t get what you want as an adult. The child you once were would never take no for an answer. Go back to being relentless when it comes to asking for what you want.

Be creative once a week.

Most of our childhood was spent being creative. It’s when we did our best work and where we earned the accolades that children strive for. Painting a picture used to be cool. Making a clay statue was a superpower.

Somewhere along the way, you were told that this stuff is not important anymore. Creativity is important. Creativity will help you:

– Think big
– Get out of your head
– Come up with new ideas
– Create something new

“Schedule creativity weekly”

Do art again.

Paint. Draw. Do paper mache. Get your hands dirty.

Run around and exercise.

Remember how you played lots of sport as a kid? All of that sport created endorphins inside of you and made you feel part of something bigger. Sport got you off the couch and helped you be fit and healthy. Then you got busy and stopped moving. You became a human hermit crab.

Fall short of breath again. Run. Walk. Swim. Play.

Embrace nap time again.

This time of the day used to be non-negotiable. You had a nap so you could recharge and avoid being cranky. Without a nap, you became like a pissed off brat that would crack it over the smallest thing. Know any adults that still act this way today?

Nap time is good. 15-minute power naps and 10-minute breaks for meditation are good for you.

Go to new places and try the ice cream.

Did you ever always eat the same ice cream at the same store every time?

No way man! You had to have an ice cream at every spot you visited with your parents. It wasn’t about the ice cream but the fact that it was a new destination. The pursuit of ice cream was how you explored the world. Why does this need to change?

Eat ice cream in new places. Explore the world.

Work until you run out of energy.

I’m pretty sure as a kid you never went to bed with loads of energy. You played and worked your little butt off until you were completely exhausted. So now as an adult, why do you stop and watch YouTube after only fifteen minutes of real work?

Work like you are a kid again. I mean really work.

Always smile and laugh as much as you can.

Kids are so freaking happy all the time. Going to the shops is like an adventure to Egypt. Kids smile heaps and laugh at the silliest things. As an adult, you could do with a lot more of this. Smile more. Laugh at stupid jokes. Go see a comedian once in a while and let your hair down.

Laughing and smiling will give you perspective on your problems. They’re not that crucial.

Don’t take life too seriously all the time.

All this adult stuff has got you confused. Being serious 100% of the time is boring. Nothing matters as much as you think it does. This whole reality you live in is made up in your little mind. Your priorities probably don’t matter as much as you think they do.

Take a break from being serious as much as you can like when you were a kid. Allow yourself to enjoy life instead of just living it.

Believe you can do whatever you want.

Your beliefs as a kid were that you could do whatever you want and try whatever you want. Why should this change?

You can do whatever you want in your adult life. It all starts with a decision. Anything is possible and you’re in control. If you really do want to fly to space like you dreamed when you were a kid, then give Elon Musk a call. I hear he’s looking for people that want to go to space.

That could be you if you believe it could be.

Protect your “playtime.”

As a kid, can you remember how you felt when someone threatened your playtime? That’s right, you’d crack a tantrum because when you were a kid, you believed that playtime was essential. It was your favorite time of the day. Now you got a house and bills, playtime is missing. That’s why you get bored and procrastinate, and eat potato chips on the couch.

Playtime is where you can be free again and do stuff that’s fun. It breaks up the long patterns of work and sleep that are needed to execute on your goals.

Time to bring some of your kid like nature back to your adult life.

If you want to increase your productivity and learn some more valuable life hacks, then join my private mailing list on timdenning.net