Is what you will become already present prior to age 8?

Recently I’ve been thinking about being a young child; remembering what I was like, what I was interested in/fascinated by when I was a young boy.

I sat down and made a list of all of my talents, abilities and skills as a 43 year old. I quickly realized that every single one of them could be traced back to the way I looked at and and interacted with the world at approximately age 6.

The things I love to do and think about today are simply an expansion of the interest/fascinations that abounded in my 6-year old heart and mind. The seeds of everything that I am and enjoy doing were already there.

Then the thought hit me: what have I forgotten from those days? What had I been interested in/fascinated with as a 6-year old that I had allowed the crowded noise of adult life to cause to fade into the background?

So I made a list of those forgotten joys and dreams.

I would encourage you to try this. It will lead to some deep soul-searching; maybe even a few tears when you realize how many dreams you have discarded. But, it is one of the most revolutionary things I’ve ever done. Ever since, I’ve been able to recapture some of that magic of life, the sort of magic that this gray world can drive from one’s heart and mind through the accumulation of rejections and “no’s.”

Let me know your experiences. I’d love to hear how this simple exercise worked for you.