by Glen Tibaldeo
About the time I was 12, I officially embraced the desire to be a grown-up. And that, my friends, could possibly have been the most detrimental transition of my life. Until then, most things were a fascination. I didn’t really know much about consequences–imagined or real. I didn’t really care what people thought because my only responsibility was to be a kid. Image and a constant sense of responsibility were the furthest things from my mind.
We all go through this type of transition in our lives. I remember walking at least 30 steps in front of or behind my parents at the mall so that people wouldn’t think I wasn’t hip. I was embarrassed of being with my little sister. Surely she didn’t know what was hip, and hip was king at that age. So I’d make fun of her in front of my friends. It felt like everyone was watching and judging everything I did.
Here’s a question. Imagine if you had all the smarts you had today, but you had the self-image of a 10-year old? You’d just do stuff because you wanted to–because it would be fun. And isn’t that still, in my case at 40, what life should be about?
Take a moment to watch this amazing and touching video, and think about whether Caine really gives a crap about the consequences of failure or what people might think of him.
Embracing our inner child can bring about a power that many of us can’t contain.
Oh, and here’s an example of the cost of hesitation. Between the time I wrote this and now, this has gone viral and appeared on NBC World News last night.
Do you have a Caine-like story to share?
“At first dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then inevitable.” – Christopher Reeve