Sometimes it’s hard to look at our life and understand approaches, passions, and tendencies.
Instead of focusing on the here and now, another technique is to look back at our childhood.
Our first 20 years are windows into our true selves – our strengths, sources of joy, and more.
Taking time to reflect on our early years can tell us a lot about who we are today.
Here are just a few things we can discover:
- Innate Strengths: Moments when you felt particularly capable or proud.
- Authentic Joy: Activities that made us lose track of time.
- Approaches to Life: How we approached challenges and learning experiences.
- Authenticity: Remembering who we were before we started to conform.
- Resilience: Reflecting on how we navigated challenges.
- Creativity: Reconnecting with our imagination and favorite form of creativity.
My Perspective
I believe there is power in tapping into our younger selves.
We can do this in fragmented moments or dive in and celebrate with a “Childhood Discovery Day”.
Pulling together a few friends (new or childhood) to do the activity together could be great fun.
Throughout the day, write down any memories that come to mind, no matter how small. Sometimes, writing about one memory can trigger others.
Here are just a few activities you could consider for the day:
- Guided Visualization: Imagine familiar places from your childhood – home, bedroom, favorite places to play, etc. – and recall the sights, sounds, and smells. What did you enjoy?
- Music: Play the songs of childhood and teen years to trigger memories & emotions.
- Food: Plan a lunch or snack that brings in favorite foods and drinks.
- Games: Pull out all the games from the past and see what you remember.
- Prompt Cards: Use reflective questions designed to evoke childhood memories. Questions like “What was your favorite book as a child?” or “Who was your best friend and what did you do together?” or “What were your favorite pastimes?”.
- Themed Journaling: Set aside specific themes for journaling sessions, such as “summer vacations,” “school days,” or “holiday traditions,” to focus your memory recall.
There are so many other activities that could be included like looking at photo albums, having conversations with family and friends, visiting childhood locations, and more.
Design a day for yourself or a group, have fun, and see what insights emerge.
Your Turn
Have you ever reflected on childhood to gain insight into your life today?
Would you want to do an activity like this alone or with a group?
Is a day better for you or bits of time across weeks?