A typical Monday morning for me, in the my office doing
my daily task when I came across this article on www.forbes.com written by Erika Andersen
then I decided to share it here because I think we could all learn a thing or
two from it, believe me I did learn something, I can be very uptight sometimes
so am learning to live a little (wink). Here, are the valuable things to learn from
20year olds. Enjoy!
Have
Fun For No Reason: When grown-ups talk about having fun, we almost always
make an excuse for doing so, e.g.: “I was so burnt out from that
last project, I just needed to take a few days off.” or “My
wife and I hadn’t had a date night in quite a while, so we…” Young
people don’t need an excuse: they feel fun is their right. I’m working on
returning to that mindset – the belief that I don’t need to justify my fun.
For instance, I’m learning to say (and think), “We’re
going to Jamaica for a week – it will be great.” vs. “I really need a vacation –
I’ve been working 15 hour days for months. We’re going to Jamaica for a week so
I can unwind and recuperate.”
Fall
Totally In Love: Young people are great at falling head over heels in love.
It’s easy to observe this phenomenon from our grown-up vantage point,
shake our heads, and assume that it’s just because they don’t know any better.
But our more measured, wary, cynical adult approach to relationships sometimes
prevents us from experiencing the amazing miracle that is real love. I speak
from personal experience. When my husband and I met 4 years ago (let’s
just say that we were both way closer to 60 than 20) we were somehow able to
channel that 20-year-old willingness to open our hearts completely: we moved in
together 10 days after we met, married a year later, and haven’t had a bad day
since.
Be
Willing to Fail Spectacularly: Young people regularly make fools of themselves. But the older
we get, the less willing we are to look bad. Sometimes our grown-up caution is
a good thing – unnecessary failures waste time and resources. But if we always focus on minimizing mistakes and
damage, we won’t take the risks that can change our lives. My husband is
in the process of starting a microbrewery. We both think he has all the
essential skills, understanding and resources needed to succeed – but it’s not
a sure thing, by any means. Like the old adage of “you can’t cross a 20-foot
gap with two 10-foot jumps,” he realizes that he needs to give it 100% of his
energy and focus in order to have a shot at making it happen. As adults, we
sometimes need to be fully willing to fail in order to truly succeed.
Just
Say It: Young people are seldom either delicate or diplomatic –
they tend to just tell the truth as they see it. And though it can backfire,
sometimes it’s both refreshing and effective. When my first marriage broke up,
my 19-year-old son’s blunt assessments of me, the situation, and his dad were
sometimes hard to hear – but truly bracing and helpful. One day when I
was feeling sorry for myself, he simply said, “Don’t wallow.” As we get older,
we tend to over-engineer our reactions. I can’t tell you how often I’ve
encouraged folks I coach to simply tell their colleagues how they see
something, make a clear request for change, or give direct feedback – and what
I get in response is some version of, “oh, no, you don’t understand – I could
never say that.” Sure
you could. Try it.
Be
Ferociously Loyal: I used to get frustrated when my kids couldn’t or wouldn’t
see the shortcomings I saw in their friends. But I also respected the
fact that they’d stick up for those friends no matter what. The adult
version of this: use your grown-up insight to see your friends and loved
ones clearly…but access your inner 20-year-old’s BFF capability to fully commit
to your friendships, as well.
Hmm! so, what do you guys think?
photo credits: http://www.managingourselves.com
