NO!
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How many times as a kid did you hear:
“No, you can’t do that.”
“No that’s wrong.”
“No, no, no, no, no!”
“Don’t look into Pandora’s box, children,” they said.
“Curiosity killed the cat,” I was told.
Curiosity didn’t kill the cat. Curiosity made the cat wiser and empowered.
I implore you to look in Pandora’s box. Dive in with reckless abandon. Have fun with the content as you experiment, explore, discover, make mistakes, get dirty, fall flat on your face, and fail spectacularly. Mistakes are good. They are an opportunity for growth. The problem is, as adults we become so afraid to fail. Failure is a stepping-stone to achievement and greatness.
Failing hurts. Failing sucks. We haven’t truly failed until we give up, however. Easier said than done, but nonetheless, don’t be afraid.
Toddlers aren’t afraid.
At each passing month and year, a toddler’s potential gets clipped by a fearful (yet caring) parent. According to some experts, kids hear 232 no’s or negative comments a day. Dr. Dan Siegel, clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA divides the child brain into states': “yes brain state,” and “no brain state.” Hearing no too often shuts down parts of the brain, enabling it to shut down more quickly and therefor become less open-minded, less incline to take risks and grow.
By the time they are 7, the power and beauty of their innocence has been tainted. There is still hope because before becoming adults, kids create amazing worlds in their malleable minds. Enchanted domains filled with friends, foes, and fearless fantasies, fueled by enthusiasm and inventiveness. With wings fully spanned, they are flying without a net to wondrous realms that adults have long forgotten and since abandoned. It’s a great shame that all these amazing, innocent possibilities become dulled in the murky quicksand of adulthood.
One of the many beauties of working with Cirque du Soleil is their sandbox approach. They are big kids at heart, building elevators with no ceilings, attempting to stand up in new ways. Their lens is wide-angled and made of the purest diamond that refracts light in all possible directions and beyond. A kaleidoscope of promise.
Your inner child is that wide-angled lens. Your inner child is your superpower. It’s the inner genius many forget to feed. Reconnect to that source and your imagination will indeed ‘take you everywhere.’
Everybody was once a child. Everybody has imagination. Everybody has unlimited potential. It’s not ability reserved for the elite or for famous innovators and theatrical geniuses within Cirque du Soleil. That superpower fades and withers at each time a child hears “no you can’t,” or “that’s not possible,” or “that’s silly” from jaded, narrow-minded adults.
Negate the no’s of society. Negate the no’s in your head, too. Instead, say and think, “yes I can and will.” Spread your wings and fly. There are however times when a cold firm no is necessary. When it comes to establishing healthy boundaries that protect your well-being or the well-being of others, denying disrespect to manifest.
How often are you saying no throughout the day and promoting a “no brain state” where people shut down or stop contributing? Where could you say “yes” and focus more on possibility?
Learn more in the two books:
IMAGINATION WILL TAKE YOU EVERYWHERE (personal development version)
INNOVATION MINDSET (business, leadership and culture version)
Thank you.
