When I ever reach a fork in the road, I find myself reverting back to one question, “What would my 5-year-old self do?” or “What would mini-me do?”
WWMMD, if you will.
You know, the person you were before you knew too much information for your own good. The person who would never consider the percentage a company puts into your 401k when deciding between jobs. The person who thought of what would be the most beneficial (and fun) now versus what was going to be the best option 5 years down the road.
The person who wasn’t afraid of anything, let alone failure.
I often feel that when I was 5-years-old is when I really had my life together.
I was still silly type-A me, making to-do lists, reading too much and adamantly sure that I could single-handedly take over the world. I still, to an extent, think I can make an impact on the world. But when I’m faced with a difficult challenge, things aren’t always as black and white as they were when I was five.
It’s sad when you reach the point in life when you understand why adults told you to
never grow up.
But honestly, I am really able to put things into perspective when I think about my problems as if I were still a child. It’s then that you can pick out what’s really most important to your inner self and, more importantly, your inner child. It’s in your five-year-old soul where your dreams really lie. Where the things that meant the most to you, the things you strived to do and the person you aspired to become.
Do you still want to be that person?
I challenge you, the next time you’re stuck at a crossroads, to think about what you would do if you were still that naïve little child with an infuriated curiosity and unfathomable passion for learning. Maybe that was just me as a child, but you get the point.
Before you knew how much you actually were costing your parents and how much you needed to save to have a five-year-old of your own. If you’re still lucky enough to be at the age where you don’t have to worry about a family or a mortgage, let your five-year-old self-free. Even if you do have a family and a mortgage, maybe your five-year-old self can help you figure out a way to have it all.
Giana Pacinelli 