5 things we can all learn from a 6-year-old

The last week has been pretty stressful. Between fretting over my finances, figuring out where I'm going to live, and and my typical struggles with a work-life balance, I'll be the first to admit I've been in a pretty crappy mood. I've been short-tempered, anti-social, and in general, pretty unwilling to be anything but disgruntled.

Needless to say (although I'm ashamed to admit it), I was less than thrilled at the thought of getting together for an all-day, slap-happy Mother's Day celebration with the family last Sunday. Sure, I love my family - but on one of those days where you just want to hide from the world in bed, that was about the last thing I wanted to do.

But boy, was I in for a surprise.

Lucky for me, my sassy, six-year-old cousin Sophia was in attendance (pictured above). To say Sophi loves being a girl is quite possibly the understatement of the year. She loves makeup, long dresses and pretty much anything pink. She's basically six going on 16 - and I absolutely love it. 

Sophi immediately ran up to me, super happy to see me. We sat outside, she wore my sunglasses and told me about her boyfriend, and before I knew it, my mood had changed. There's something about kids - their spirit is contagious.

After spending the day with Sophia in the sun, I left the get-together a completely different person than when I came - I was happy, light-hearted and felt truly blessed to be able to enjoy such a great day outside. I found myself thinking about that day all day yesterday (Monday), reflecting on how much I enjoyed spending time with Sophi and how I would totally take her up on a mani/pedi date over the summer. (She noted that I'll have to pick her up, of course, and then gave me her mom's cell.)

After thinking a lot about my Sunday with Sophi, I realized I learned a lot from hanging out with her. Here are my five favorites: 

1. It's okay to be sassy. Sophi knows what she likes and what she doesn't, and says what's on her mind. Is she bratty? Not at all. There's a fine line between the two, and I'm convinced that walking it is totally the way to go.
2. Being a girl doesn't have to mean being proper. While showing off your high kick in a dress might not be okay for a 24-year-old, there's something to be said for Sophi's fearlessness and shameless attitude. I think as adults we tend to over-think our every move too much - what will they think if I do this? Is this something I should be doing at this age? When in reality, we could learn a thing or two from Sophi's high kicks. 
3. Moms are still the bomb. At age six, your mom is still the woman you look up to most in life, aspire to be and share every big moment with (from high kicks to boyfriends). As we grow up, we tend to push ourselves to be independent, but perhaps too much. At the end of the day, mom still molded us into a huge part of who we are today, and I think our generation (or at least me) could stand to show that a bit more.
4. The sunshine is meant to be enjoyed. When it's nice out, kids instantly flock outside. I think that should be a rule of thumb for adults, too. 
5. Savor the little things. Whether a homemade snow cone or a pretty butterfly, Sophi never fails to get a kick out of things most 24-year-olds often overlook. How much more would we smile if we chose to enjoy more in life? I bet more than we realize.

In a nutshell, while kids have a lot to learn from adults, I think we also have a lot to learn from them. Have you had any experiences with little ones that affected you? What else do you think we could take from kids' behavior?

Bad habits

I recently read a post on Marc and Angel Hack Life that really got me thinking. The post, entitled, "20 Bad habits holding good people back," centered on bad habits that "good" people repeatedly struggle with. After reading the post in its entirety, one of the reader comments really hit my thoughts on the nose: "Every one of these bullets could stand on their own."

And it's true - although the author just touched on each "bad habit" with a few sentences, each one of those items really warrants a bit of self reflection.

So this is me, self reflecting, and choosing the one bad habit I think I'm guilty of most: Never allowing things to be good enough.

Whether the status of my career, my fitness/health routine or my relationships, I always seem to dwell on the negatives and stress on what I can improve. I got promoted after just a year at my job, but I still find myself anxious about where I'll be in five years. I've gotten back into regularly working out and eating healthy, but still feel like there's so much further to go. And I'm blessed to have the best (seriously!) boyfriend, friends and family, but still get upset over the small stuff.

I'll admit, I'm a perfectionist.

So what's my cure? Marc and Angel say this:

"We are human. We are not perfect. We are alive. We try things. We make mistakes. We stumble. We fall. We get hurt. We rise again. We try again. We keep learning. We keep growing. And we are thankful for this priceless opportunity called life."

Being thankful to be alive - that's a new thought. Not just thankful for all the good stuff I listed above - but thankful to be alive.

Which of the 20 habits in this post are you guilty of?