It was George Bernard Shaw who said “Youth is wasted on the young”, and he was right.
Many of us today wish they were able to connect with their younger selves. And they can. They can again experience what it was like way back then, and we will dig into how - in this article below.
- When you are young you don’t appreciate the fact that you can stay up partying for half the night and the following morning not feel as if you had been beaten with a large stick.
- Junk food used to be just food and you didn’t have to worry about indigestion, your teeth falling out and possibly terminal health issues.
- Conversation with your peers was not about your bad back or the weather but bright optimistic shiny topics such as holidays, clothes, partying and your glittering future.
- Sex was a perfectly normal bodily function and not an occasional, quite enjoyable but totally debilitating treat and hair was something mostly on your head and not in a whole array of unwanted places and orifices.
The list is endless although of course you don’t notice the vast changes in your life until it’s too late. Or is it?
Let’s face it, secretly you think you look young for your age, don’t you? Nothing wrong with that because we all do - so it evens out!
For the moment, let’s forget about the Just for Men, the vitamins, the jogging, the cutting down on alcohol, the cream or the high blood pressure and cholesterol pills.
Let’s Work Out How We Can Best Connect With Our Former Younger Self.
1. Stop worrying.
When you were young you didn’t really have many problems to worry about and you knew that a long and prosperous future lay ahead of you.
That is one of the most enviable mindsets of the young. Replicate that mindset and you will have taken several massive steps to connecting with your younger self.
You cannot even think about connecting with your youth unless you clear your mind of all the extraneous rubbish.
2. Rediscover your true ambition.
Ambition is another one of those aspects of life which tends to belong to the young. At some stage, usually in our 40s, unless we are on a stellar career path - we lose all ambition.
That is a real shame. We’re not talking about the ambition to reach 65 and retire. We're talking about a proper ambition and a desire to achieve.
What were your biggest hopes and dreams when you were young? Never kid yourself that it is too late to achieve them.
- You may have dreams of being the greatest novelist in the English language.
- You may have thought that one day you would be famous.
- Or you may have imagined yourself as a great leader of men.
You do not have to achieve these great ambitions. But you do need that youthful optimism that you used to have so that you do actually travel along the path of your childhood ambitions.
3. Let go of regret.
Regret is something which belongs to the old and not the young.
We all have regrets and far too many people are of the “I could have been” Or “if only” type.
Deal with all your regrets. Or at least face them and vocalise them. In other words, file your past regrets away. Enjoy the regret-free outlook of when you were young.
4. Our appearance is what defines our age.
Yes, it is superficial but unfortunately fact.
- Remember when you were young how important it was for you to look well-dressed, neat and acceptable to your peers - especially those of the opposite sex.
- Do you remember standing in front of the mirror until you managed to convince yourself that you looked perfect and ready to go!
- Remember that frisson of excitement in the pit of your stomach just before you went out to the pub or wherever it was you met your friends on a Saturday night?
You can revive that feeling. I don’t mean go and invest in a toupee, flared trousers and a bottle of hair dye. I do mean appreciate what you see in the mirror, ditch the beige anorak and care about how you look.
See if you can actually get a member of the opposite sex to look at you again. It’ll bring a new spring to your step.
5. Revive that bucket list.
By now we’ve all heard of the ubiquitous ‘Bucket list’. Although the phrase is comparatively new, it is simply a list of things you wanted to do or achieve in your life.
Not necessarily ambitions but things such as places you intended to visit, people you intended to meet, books you intended to read, mountains you said you would climb, men and/or women you wanted to sleep with. The list is endless.
Revive that bucket list! If you never had a bucket list, put one together – and get on with it! That really will put you back in touch with your younger self.
Finally, be nice to your siblings and if you are lucky enough to have them – your own kids. They, more than anyone will give you a direct link with your younger self!
Your future self could also be your younger self - at least metaphorically. Check out our 'Your Future Self' mp3 meditation download.
How do you revive that connection with your younger, more enthusiastic self? Share your wonderful comments down below, we appreciate them all!
