I was reviewing some pictures from a child’s birthday party recently. My little nephew had just turned two, and with the typical attention span of every toddler in the universe, the little guy had to be kept in constant view, or he would wander off into some “mischief” and his mother or another adult would have to be scampering after him.
One picture captured him during one such episode. He had wandered off into the unknown with an orange balloon in hand, fearless, curious, and not in the least concerned about what lay ahead of him. I considered this for a moment, and exclaimed aloud…
“Geez, when did I become a coward?”
I am not talking about simply being a thrill seeker. But even the simple things bring this hesitation, and subsequent dismissal. When did I lose that courage? What happened that shackled my curiosity, and ebbed the tide of my enthusiasm for things unknown? When did I lose my spirit of adventure?
“Success is the child of audacity.”
Benjamin Disraeli
photo courtesy K. Strachan
Children have this innocence that feeds their courage. They are precocious and audacious. In many ways, that enthusiasm and attitude lead them to success in whatever field they choose to pursue later in life.
As grown-ups, and I use that term tongue in cheek, we have a different understanding, so I will not state the obvious. My point of consideration was not about the wisdom that comes with age and lived experiences, but rather my own unwillingness to take risks, to explore, or to challenge the limits of my own experiences.
I promised myself that this coming week, I would confront some of the things that I am afraid of. Not only the irrational crippling fear, but also the things I have surrendered to my own logic rationalized that this is just a part of who I am.
Have you lost your spirit of adventure?
What discoveries are you missing out on?
Helping You To Succeed 
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