Here's the first example of how you can incorporate InnerKid into your every day life:
When I was younger, bouncy balls used to be the most amazing toy in the world. Whenever I had those tiny little super balls from the grocery store dispenser, it turned into tons of time spent seeing just how high I could make it bounce as well as how many walls it could hit against before stopping (the parents didn't really appreciate that one). It got even worse walking into superstores or toy stores where they had those HUGE containers of bigger bouncy balls that stretched to the ceiling and the only thing separating you from your future enjoyment was crisscrossing of strings. Again, I think my parents cursed the brilliant salespeople who placed them there as I swore I would never ask for anything again if I could just buy that one swirly blue ball.
Anyway, what if you brought back the bouncy ball?
In my room, I have decided to do away with chairs as they were making my legs and back ache. Instead, I purchased the largest exercise ball I could possibly find (here we go with the more mature version of the bouncy ball). Now when I work on my computer, I have much more versatility as to what I can achieve during the day. I can roll around and around while holding on to my desk and reading an e-mail. While singing to music, I can make the new "chair" bounce up and down with me like a kangaroo. I can even do sit-ups when waiting for my stupidly slow Internet to connect. This provides me with so much more energy and fun than my previous method of making my butt sore.
So how does this fulfill the InnerKid? You are not only making your work environment more fun, but you are also changing your world by making it more open to more physical activity (those small movements really do add up in terms of burning calories!). It's fun and healthy!
Go out as soon as possible, buy one, and try it at your computer at home! If you love it, bring one to your work desk if you have that capability. Nervous about being the odd one out? Recruit a friend and the two of you can laugh and hop around while burning calories while those silly co-workers of yours watch in confusion.
Do it. Bring back the bouncy ball.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
What is the InnerKid?
The InnerKid philosophy didn't have a name until just a few months ago. Before then, it was mostly a way of life, something that ensured I was actually living every moment of my time here on Earth.
In 2005, I learned that I was at-risk of inheriting Huntington's Disease (HD). My mum, only two years earlier, had been diagnosed with the disease, which meant that I had a 50% chance of developing an illness that robs the victim's ability to walk, talk, think or reason around middle age and eventually causes secondary conditions that lead to death. However, as an 11 year old, it was impossible for me to discover my fate for another seven years.
This prospect that I could potentially have a incurable, fatal disease haunted me for months. My mum, who in retrospect, had only six more years to live, was quickly declining into a state of dependency. It terrified me to think that I too could have the rug swept right out from under my feet at such a young age like my mum.
This is when the "innerkid" came to be. I don't remember the date or time or whether it was gradual or not. Yet I decided in 2005 that I was going to start to REALLY live the rest of my life, and not wait to grow up in order to do certain things (this would eventually lead to the creation of GreenTeen...but that's another story).
As the years passed, I looked back at my childhood and was a little disappointed at how much time I had spent being an "adult" for my younger brother and mother. It felt like my childhood was spent being older than I should have and yet, here I was, already a teenager.
Childhood doesn't have to end when you turn eighteen though. The InnerKid philosophy suddenly bloomed into the idea that the power of fun can change your world. Children laugh on average 25 more times a day than adults, but that does not have to be the case. Adults of all ages can harness the power of the inner kid. Here's how it works:
With the InnerKid philosophy, you can change your world, someone else's world, or even the planet. The great thing though is that it will always make you happier because all of these actions are reciprocal. To put the InnerKid philosophy to work, find times in your life that suck away your energy and make you think of those days in the sandbox. Now. Hone your InnerKid and think of ways that you can make those events more playful. Can you put out M&Ms for the conference meeting? Can you organize a fun game to play at a family gathering? Maybe it's even time to make someone else's day.
If you want more concrete examples of how one can use the InnerKid philosophy in your life, stay tuned to this blog. (and hey...remember to wake up and laugh tomorrow.)
In 2005, I learned that I was at-risk of inheriting Huntington's Disease (HD). My mum, only two years earlier, had been diagnosed with the disease, which meant that I had a 50% chance of developing an illness that robs the victim's ability to walk, talk, think or reason around middle age and eventually causes secondary conditions that lead to death. However, as an 11 year old, it was impossible for me to discover my fate for another seven years.
This prospect that I could potentially have a incurable, fatal disease haunted me for months. My mum, who in retrospect, had only six more years to live, was quickly declining into a state of dependency. It terrified me to think that I too could have the rug swept right out from under my feet at such a young age like my mum.
This is when the "innerkid" came to be. I don't remember the date or time or whether it was gradual or not. Yet I decided in 2005 that I was going to start to REALLY live the rest of my life, and not wait to grow up in order to do certain things (this would eventually lead to the creation of GreenTeen...but that's another story).
As the years passed, I looked back at my childhood and was a little disappointed at how much time I had spent being an "adult" for my younger brother and mother. It felt like my childhood was spent being older than I should have and yet, here I was, already a teenager.
Childhood doesn't have to end when you turn eighteen though. The InnerKid philosophy suddenly bloomed into the idea that the power of fun can change your world. Children laugh on average 25 more times a day than adults, but that does not have to be the case. Adults of all ages can harness the power of the inner kid. Here's how it works:
With the InnerKid philosophy, you can change your world, someone else's world, or even the planet. The great thing though is that it will always make you happier because all of these actions are reciprocal. To put the InnerKid philosophy to work, find times in your life that suck away your energy and make you think of those days in the sandbox. Now. Hone your InnerKid and think of ways that you can make those events more playful. Can you put out M&Ms for the conference meeting? Can you organize a fun game to play at a family gathering? Maybe it's even time to make someone else's day.
If you want more concrete examples of how one can use the InnerKid philosophy in your life, stay tuned to this blog. (and hey...remember to wake up and laugh tomorrow.)
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