As children, we’re taught more about how to live and how to behave as we get older. With these lessons come maturity and growth, but they can also unintentionally inhibit parts of ourselves that we find to be too young or too childish.
Many of us have found ourselves thinking at one point, “Man, I miss being a kid. It was so much easier.” Perhaps this is because we had some qualities back then that helped free our mind and live life in a carefree way.
Luckily, these qualities aren’t lost in us forever. We can recapture these childhood skills and improve not only our mindset, but our intelligence, our happiness, and even our job performance. Here are five childhood skills that are still useful today for adults.
1. Optimism
Kids often have a much more optimistic view of the world before they encounter its harsh realities, and although we shouldn’t exactly return to our blissful ignorance, we could definitely take a lesson from positive-thinking children.
Studies show that people with optimistic attitudes have lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and early death.
2. Imagination
Kids are always making up stories and games, and it can be good for the adult brain to participate in the same type of activities.
In fact, studies have even found that participating in creative endeavors outside of work can help improve your job performance.
3. Breaking The Rules
No one’s suggesting you go rob a bank, but as we get older, we sometimes forget to think outside of the box.
Searching for loopholes, as kids often do, can help prepare you for different outcomes in many situations, and it’s this kind of critical thinking that drives innovators and entrepreneurs.
4. Starting Anew
Everyday is a new day for kids. They don’t dwell on what happened yesterday, and oftentimes their emotions are also refreshed.
As adults, this can help you take each day in stride, and gives you the chance for that start-over we all look for.
5. Taking Risks
Children are not dictated by fear or overthinking — they plunge into their actions with courage because they don’t know any better.
When it comes to the little things we often skip over, such as talking to a stranger, moving to a new city, or going to a party alone, we should be putting our thought process in the mindset of a child, who wouldn’t be afraid that the person next to you on the metro is going to think you’re totally weird.
