Kids are fun. You could ask them anything and they’d reply you back with a hundred beautiful answers.
Just by using their imagination, kids think up whole universes and worlds, connect the dots, explain the weird, and become eager to try out different things to see if what they’ve imagined in their minds will work in real life – or will be as fun.
As time passes, we get savvier and learn from our mistakes – which is good. Knowing stuff solves mysteries. The ‘way things are’ may seem like it’s set in store, but because of all the life lessons we’ve gained, it creates a shortcut in our brains, which makes sense of the world. And frankly, it’s a pretty efficient way to live. Sadly, in some cases, we do this too well and knowledge draws a square box around our imagination, then we hit what you would call a ‘rut’.
Some might say the older we get, the less we imagine. A few of us, though, feel that we imagine even more with age. Why is that?
[related]In one word: dare.
When we were younger we used to reject nothing, absorb everything, were curious always, and had this genuine trust in endless possibilities – whether a thing was true or not, we were able to take it, try it, break it and discover for ourselves. Life was thrilling and it felt good – age is just a number, and to be honest, we can still do what we believe in.
It’s somewhat become a little too easy to learn, too. Anything we want to know is a click and clever keyword away. We don’t need to anticipate or experiment as much.
Add to that, the times along the way that we got hurt, were told off or advised to pick and stick to one ‘best way’ by well-meaning people who don’t really understand where you stand. Past all the smoke and mirrors, we become more reliant on our gut-logic because it’s more effective and, by now, logic is way much easier to explain and live with.
But if we can remain daring, continue to believe in possibilities, stay interested and keep that desire to try things out whatever the outcome, we can build the resilience to explore and experiment even when things don’t work out the way we planned – only then will we continue to want to solve in new ways and share our creations with the world (think of innocent little kids rushing to show you what they’ve made – full of pride, happiness and satisfaction).
The fact of the matter is: we’ve got to revive that innate ability. There’s a lot of free information out there. Anything you want to learn about may be on YouTube, Google or that old book full of wisdom lying around your house. When you can use your imagination to relate different information in new ways, and then do something about it, you’ve got an edge. It’s like making something out of nothing – and that’s the best feeling ever.
We can use information and knee scrapes as a springboard to learn to see beyond knowledge, problems or interests. Remember how children could accept new information and be more open to change? Imagination is what completes the picture – action is what makes it tangible. There is no age to imagination. There is so much trapped potential in information. Adding childlike innocence is like pouring awesome sauce on real life. Now, doesn’t the sound of that make you hungry?