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Recapturing Your Zest for Life

by Ohio State University Extension    

Have you ever watched a child master a new skill? Can you remember a time when you discovered a new hobby or activity that seemed really exciting to you? Have you ever known one of those people who started a new career at age 65? Do you ever feel that kind of passion in your life?

Passion -- an enthusiasm for life, for learning, creating, enjoying. Sometimes, however, the everyday responsibilities of life drag down our passions. Restoring those feelings may be child's play, literally.

Children aren't restricted by the limitations adults place on themselves. They aren't concerned with what others think. Kids can enjoy "foolish" things -- walking barefoot in the rain, flying kites, drinking straight from the garden hose.

Think about the people you know who just seem to drink life in. They enjoy everything. They challenge the worn-out rules and restrictions of convention and see meaning in their lives.

You can recapture the passion left in childhood by finding something you care about -- something you feel passionate about. Perhaps you enjoy writing, playing the piano, birdwatching, spending time with children, or taking photos. Whatever you love to do, find time to do it. After all, something is taking up all of your time each day. Shouldn't part of that day be spent doing something you love to do? You bet!

Learn to dream about how you'd like your life to be. The author Robert Greenleaf writes, "Nothing much happens without a dream. For something really great to happen, it takes a really great dream." Some of the most passionate, famous people had great dreams: Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Liz Claiborne. They all achieved great things during their middle years. It's never too late to relight your fire.

Ann McGee-Cooper outlines in her book, You Don't Have to Come Home From Work Exhausted, some strategies to help you find your lost passion, to think more like a child. Try to:

• Seek things you think are fun to do -- and do them!
• Be curious -- try anything once.
• Smile a lot and laugh often.
• Experience and express emotions freely.
• Be creative -- even about solving everyday problems.
• Exercise and be physically active.
• Challenge yourself to learn about new things. Take a literature class, become a gourmet cook, change the oil in your car, learn to speak French.
• Be enthusiastic. Look for the positive in a situation.
• Every day, list three things you are happy about.
• Dream. Imagine your life the way you'd like it to be -- no matter how outrageous.
• Believe in the impossible. You never know what power your thoughts will have.
• Let go of worry. Don't dwell on what awful things might happen. Focus on the incredible things just around the corner.
• Be passionate. Be childlike. Express your feelings. Don't allow yourself to be confined by the judgment of others.

Your passion may be lying just beneath the surface. Take time each day to release your playful, curious, adventurous self. Rediscover the child within!

Reference

You Don't have To Go Home From Work Exhausted!, Ann McGee-Cooper, Bantam Books, 1992.

Prepared by

Rebecca A. Culbertson
OSU Extension Agent
Family and Consumer Sciences
Gallia County