Everyone Is a Little Kid From Somewhere
Everyone has recurring dreams. I have a recurring experience. It has happened at the top of the Eiffel Tower, snorkeling in Hawaii, riding in a canal boat in Amsterdam, eating a waffle with the most amazing chocolate sauce in Belgium, exploring New Zealand, watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace in London, visiting the Blarney Castle (home of the Blarney Stone) in Ireland, looking out my hotel room window at the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge and a number of other beautiful places around the world that I’ve had the opportunity to visit. The experience plays out the exact same way every time. I’m fully present enjoying wherever I am when a little voice in my head says,
“Who are you to be here?
You’re just a little kid from Inman, South Carolina.”
I grew up in Inman, SC. Back then the population was and still is less than 2,500 people. What we lack in quantity we make up for in quality. Inman is home to a lot of beautiful people from whom I learned a lot about:
- The importance of family, friends and community
- Working hard and helping others
- The value of good manners, which demonstrate respect for and kindness to others
- Being grateful and gracious
- And a long list of other things that have served me well in all aspects of my life.
One thing that I did not learn about growing up was traveling to places that required more than a few hours in a car. When I was growing up the big vacation for my family and most people that we knew was a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC.
When I find myself traveling someplace that requires flying across an ocean or encountering a cool new experience, my internal voice often pops up asking, “Who are you to be here?” There is an implication – a fear – that I’m not supposed to be there as if I’m not good enough to be wherever there is at that moment. Thankfully, when that happens I look around at the other people who happen to be wherever I am and I remind myself that:
Everyone is a little kid from somewhere.
Think about all of the adults you have encountered throughout your life. At some point, each one of them was a little kid. Some of them may have grown up in small towns like I did while others may have grown up in big cities. Some people grew up in big families while others grew up as only children in small families. Some people grew up with wealth while others grew up in families who struggled to pay their basic bills. Some people grew up in loving, emotionally supportive families; others were not so fortunate. As children become adults and take responsibility for their lives, they have the opportunity to create the life they desire. The point is:
Your experience as a child does not dictate your experience as an adult unless you choose to let it.
Embrace the positive aspects of your childhood and your adulthood thus far and recognize that you are allowed – even encouraged to dream of doing things you have not yet experienced.
Your life is your life and you are entitled to pursue whatever dreams you have. If you dream of doing more in life – traveling, learning a new language, changing jobs, learning a new hobby, going back to school, getting healthy, experiencing balance in your life or whatever else, you do not have to go it alone. At Life1440 we don’t tell you how to live your life, we help you live the life you want. Check out the Life1440 CEO Program™ to start creating the life you want instead of settling for what is.
- Lisa Johnson
