I was sitting in an airport recently and all the adults, including me, were on our devices. There was a four- or five-year-old little girl playing make believe with her toys. She was singing and talking to herself: “She’s a superhero” and “You’ll be ok, I’ll save you. I’m on the case.” It was precious.
At first, I didn’t know what I was hearing as I cleaned out my inbox and worked on a PowerPoint presentation. Then, as her lovely chatter, humming and singing distracted me, I began to listen in and remembered what it was like to get lost in play, to use my imagination without any care in the world.
- “This is a neat place, this airport. So nice.”
- “Coffee is for adults. Just yuck.”
- Laughing deep in her belly: “No, I won’t ever drink it. Just won’t.”
- She danced as she played her games and smiled at her mom.
- “You really are pretty. Can I have a cookie?”
Looking around at all the adults, several of us exchanged a smile and knowing look as we experienced her wonder at the world and use of the window shelf as her make believe superhero’s launching pad…a few others glanced her way a bit agitated by her freestyling way.
How can we get that inner child mindset back and how would doing so serve us as busy, working professionals? I closed my laptop and just listened to her; let it wash over me. One way I think of allowing creativity to flow is to make time for it, to calendar it. Also, we need to rid ourselves of the naysayers, the ones who look down upon or won’t embrace the benefit of lighthearted play, of momentary naivete, of getting to know the child within.
A beginner’s mind isn’t worried about what others think. Unless corrected by an adult, the children play, create, imagine – and it’s those three things that can serve us if we will only try it out.
So, how about taking a few minutes to play, to skip or sing or have a conversation with an imaginary playmate? When I take time to honor my inner child, the results are anything but childish; they are wonderfully creative and whimsically out-of-the box. Sometime the adults show up (even in my head) and say things like “That won’t work” or “Get serious”.
They called my flight and I had to leave the scene but as I did, I walked right past the little girl as she held two figures in her hands, deep in make-believe conversation. The last thing I heard her say was “I don’t care what they say I’m going to do it” and then had the other figure answer in a giggle “I’ll love it when you do.”
Gosh, I hope the business world doesn’t beat the play out of her. We need more of that.
– Becky Sharpe, CEO
