I love my kids’ imagination.
In a matter of minutes yesterday my 4 and a half year old and his almost 2 year old sister and turned an empty cardboard box into a “police ship”. It had a paper towel tube mast and a basket steering wheel. It was filled with stuffie passengers, a yellow balloon and their quesadilla lunch. Then, they instantly switched the box to be a musical train. Chairs were added, a harmonica came out, along with cymbals and a slide whistle.
My kids are still young, they are still able to get completely and confidently wrapped up in imagination, in big dreams, in becoming what ever they want to be in that moment. And they are not afraid to change who they are or become someone new and better.
It made me think about my own personal identity and how as adults we often strive to figure out who we are and how we define ourselves.
I heard this phrase yesterday in an interview with a woman who had created a drama program for troubled teens, she said she wanted a place where these teens could become the ‘best versions of themselves.’
My kids are always the best versions of themselves.
Even in the middle of an epic meltdown, they are pretty grounded in who they are, but confident they can go anywhere.
Ask a young kid what they want to be when they grow up and you’ll often hear “ladybug fire fighter” or “astronaut doughnut maker.”
But somewhere after cardboard police ships, we start to try to apply labels to ourselves. Perhaps who are friends are, or what sport we excel at in highschool, or our college degree, or our job title, or our family status.
You are not your label.
You are so much more.
I am a mom.
It is my most proud label, I always wanted to be a mom and even in the middle of an epic meltdown, I am still grounded in being a mom.
But I am also a wife and a daughter and a best friend. Other labels I proudly wear.
I am a vanilla latte connoisseur, a Gossip Girl watcher and a once and future endurance cyclist.
And recently I defined myself as a Mommy Strategist. In my quest to “find my thing,” I realized I really want to help other moms find their thing too. We are all so much more than our labels. We have more to offer, more to give, more to enjoy.
Want to use your camera more? Do it. Want to learn the harmonica? Awesome! Try a new recipe? You’re a chef now! Learn to stand up paddle board? Me too!
Like the police ship turned music train, my best version of myself is always evolving.
And that is ok.
Its more than ok, it is exactly perfect.
Maybe I’ll try out ladybug firefighter too.
Need some help finding “Your Thing?” I invite you to join other like-minded moms tomorrow, Tuesday, January 15th at 12pm (pst) for a FREE CALL with me. Leave the 30 minute call with solid grasp on what your “Thing” is for 2013 is and a concrete plan on how to get there. The call will be recorded and emailed out to you if you can’t make it live. Click here to register
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Anastasia Valentine - Great post. I think watching your kids, their creativity tells us so much. 1) We don’t need all the STUFF around us to be our truest selves and 2) where is our sense of creativity and wonder? Let’s just get that back! What a great post fine lady! LOVED IT!
Pam Pearson - Loving this (as I sip my vanilla latte!) I also wear many labels and they don’t define who I am. They are a part of me, AND I am much more than that. I certainly can learn from the freedom from judgement that your children have and the creativity that they let FLY! Wow. When did I start listening to someone who said I “couldn’t do that” or “that is silly”. I’m going to continue to be the best version of myself, not the best version that someone else wants me to be!!
Felicity Fields | Online Marketing Coach - I never really gave much thought to labels until about 4 years ago, when I embarked on a, shall we say, unconventional relationship. And then, I became an a solopreneur, and labels apply even less than they did back then. I think people like labels because it helps them rest – it can be exhausting to constantly seek to find the best version of yourself. Frankly, that’s what I love about my life, but when I think of my former office-mates, I can definitely see how they let their labels define their lives!
Christie Halmick - I’m so happy that the best version of me is a work in progress. I like who I am now, all the different parts of me. But I also want to experience so many more things during my life. Things that I haven’t even thought of yet or even considered possible for me. What an exhilarating thought!