Your Inner 10 year old called...

Lately, I haven’t really been writing. Not for myself. Not for my blog. Not for school. I’ve just kind of stopped. I don’t think I’ve had anything to say worth writing about and definitely not worth reading about. Yesterday, my bestie in this life reminded me that my “people want to hear from me.” She went so far as to say they’ve been WAITING to hear from me. I’m not sure if any of this is true, but it was enough to inspire me to pick up my pen.

Not that you really needed a reminder, but life is hard. My life is hard. This week I went to Michael’s to buy two picture frames for some art I bought in MAY. There was no traffic. I parked in the second parking space. The frames were BOGO. I mean, the Universe was practically begging me to buy these frames, however, I walked around for 40 minutes, got so overwhelmed  at all of these options that I decided to just look at scrapbook stickers, balk at the price, and leave. What is this life? Why did picture frames push me over the edge? I have no answers here.

I am not alone in feeling this unwarranted anxiety over stupid things. I don’t think for one second that I am. I deal with life being hard in three very direct, specific ways. I would like to tell you about those.

1. I take Prozac.
2. I fill my life with little, tiny, silly joys every single day.
3. I still try to make my 10 year old self happy.

I wrote a post kind of similar to this one a while back, but the message today is different. Today’s message is simple. Think back to what you liked at 10 years old and try to do those things appropriately and responsibly. Please do not stop brushing your teeth, watching Nickelodeon for hours, and resort to eating only sugary cereals….was this just my life? I've posted about the big things that make a real difference in your life. You can check out 30Somethings Keys to Success and also 30something & Thriving. Today, we are just focusing on making your 10 year old self happy. Call it an experiment if you will.

I would argue that your perception of reality is more important than actual reality. A lot of people would argue with me about this. Maybe we can do that some other time, but this is my blog. Filling your life with little joys changes your perception of reality. Even though life is hard, you have silly little reasons to smile and ridiculous things to look forward to.

I have this new friend. She is wonderful. Our souls recognized each other immediately. My friend does not like her job. In fact, she told me just this week “Beasley, if my husband and I could get by, I wouldn’t go back tomorrow.” Yikes. You wouldn’t know this by looking at her. She’s very friendly and smiley. I don’t think it’s fake. I think she is just a positive person. Where does that positivity come from? If she isn’t happy at work and she isn’t being fake, then why is she so smiley? Little joys. That’s how. I complimented her very bright outfit twice this week. The second time, she replied with “you know, when I look good, I feel good. I love bright colors and they make me look and feel good.” Sister, #preach. Wear all the bright yellow in the world if when you look in the mirror, you can’t help but smile. I mean, dear sisters everywhere, live your best life.

Here's your experiment/challenge/task:

Ask yourself what made your 10 year old self happy? Where does your inner 10 year old find joy? Then, I want you try to incorporate those things into your life for 2 weeks. See if it makes you happier. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. That's why it's an experiment.

I'm not going to just let you start all willy-nilly. These things are all very, very childish and immature. That is the point. Ten year olds are also very childish and immature. That's the point. Stop being such an adult all the time. Here are some ways that I live my best life, make my inner 10 year old happy, and fill my life with small, insignificant joys:

1. I use a lot of stickers. I put them in my planner. On my notebooks. I wear them sometimes. I just really like stickers.
   
2. I wear an obnoxious amount of pink and animal print. This is not an apology or an explanation. I'm just telling you that I love cheetah patterns and all shades of pink.
   
3. I buy lots of unicorn things. This week I bought a Unicorn Coloring book. I'm not sure if it was meant for adults or children. What I do know is that coloring unicorns is magical in and of itself. Find your own Unicorn Coloring Book here.
4. I write with color pens. I just love all the colors. I also love organization.
   
5. I dance to toddler songs. If you haven't listened to Pinkfong's 120 nonstop minutes of Baby Shark then you absolutely are not living your best life.
   
6. I make an annoying number of jokes. Especially at my 6 am workout class. Why would I respond with a serious answer when I can make myself laugh? This doesn't make sense. Sometimes people roll their eyes at me. Again, this is not an apology.
7. I have Happy Hour on the week day. My neighbors come over with their 2/3 year olds and we drink wine. Hanging out with your friends is literally a 10 year old's greatest joy.
8. I eat dessert every day. And I like it. I also workout/run every day so I feel justified in the number of chocolates, cookies, popcicles, doughnuts, etc that I eat.
9. I spend a lot of time and most of my money on decorating my space. I just love having a fun house and it makes me feel good. It makes my husband feel bad because he manages the bank account. Here's a little sneak peek of my next blog post.
   
10. I work on fulfilling old childhood dreams. Ex. Going to a Taylor Swift concert, taking a trip to Harry Potter World, jumping waves when I go to the beach.
    

I also polled the people. These are some of their answers:

1. I watch cartoons on Saturday mornings.
2. I still listen to N*sync and Backstreet. I sing all the words.
3. I hide behind doors and closets and jump out to scare people (I love this one.)
4. I do cartwheels in my yard.
5. I still think of movie quotes that I love and say them out loud when I'm by myself.
6. I still make a Christmas list every year.
7. I love swinging
8. I still use potty talk

Feel free to share your favorite childish activities that make you really happy. No judgment here. If you can make your 10 year old self happy, you'll be fine. I promise.