Over at Michael Hyatt’s blog, he gave a quote from a book entitled Do the Work. Within the quote, this statement stuck out to me:
Ignorance and arrogance are the artist and entrepreneur’s indispensable allies. She must be clueless enough to have no idea how difficult her enterprise is going to be—and cocky enough to believe she can pull it off anyway.
I have to admit, I’m not ignorant, or arrogant enough. And I’m willing to bet you aren’t either. If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time gathering information, reading blogs, and pondering what is the best way to tackle a challenge. If you’re like me, you can get bogged down in the minutia of information.
That’s one reason I love working with children. They can help me find my giddy, stupid self. When you’re around kids, do these things to get your daring, stupid self back:
- Before you tell a child it can’t be done, ask yourself, “Why not?” Is it really that big of a deal? Sure, there are safety concerns you have to watch. Never allow a child to put themselves in danger, but there are so many ideas kids have that aren’t going to harm them or others. Take a chance! Get messy! Have some fun!
- Allow yourself to be silly. Wear that flamboyant hat. Sing a silly song. Laugh even if you heard that joke when you were seven. It’s still funny!
- Encourage a child no matter how outlandish their goals me be. Maybe they will be president some day. Perhaps you’re looking at the next astronaut to Mars. Encourage dreams. And dream a little yourself.
Working with kids is a great way to keep your innocent, creative self from thinking small. Encourage their dreams and you may find you can get “stupid” and work on your own.
