What Did You Love to Do When You Were a Kid?

We have a lot of conversations about purpose and vision in our businesses. As leaders, we encourage people to show up, work in their zone of genius, and do what they love. We also talk a lot about burnout, feeling overwhelmed, and feeling stuck. When those conversations arise, and we’re just not finding joy in the moments, here’s a great question to ask yourself…

What did you love to do when you were a kid?

Go back to the six-, eight-, or ten-year-old version of yourself, and ask that question. What lit you up and got you excited? What did you love to do naturally without any prodding or pushing? What could you spend a full summer day doing that would make you forget to come inside for lunch or dinner? What would you think about at night as you were falling asleep, excited about doing the next day?

What did you love to do?

Often, when we answer that question, we realize that the grown-up version of ourselves no longer does that thing. For some reason, when adulting kicks in, we turn off that thing we loved to do and turn on a bunch of things we feel like we have to do. The “have-to’s” crowd out the “love-to’s,” and we get disconnected from that little kid who went to bed dreaming and woke up excited.

What’s one of the keys to battling the burnout, the overwhelm, and that stuck feeling? Go back to what you loved as a kid. Find a way to reintroduce that into your life, maybe the same as when you were ten, or perhaps in a completely different way that fits your life as an adult better.

Do you lead a team? Encourage each individual to do the same. Help them make space to light that part of their lives up again, and then share the joy of rekindling that together as a group. Talk about it, share your wins and losses, and experience being kids again alongside one another.

Call-to-Action

What does this have to do with marketing? Nothing. It has everything to do with showing up as the best version of yourself and making room for joy again. It has everything to do with showing up well as part of a teams and battling burnout and feeling stuck.

We’ve all been there… too busy for the “love -to’s” because we’re so focused on the “have-to” things on our list. Make room on that list for the love-to experiences, and you’ll find that those things keep you energized and recharged for the things that must be done. Start small, add a little bit at a time, and see what happens…