Children see the world through a different, less polluted, perspective. As adults we often feel that we possess a deeper understanding due to our experience, but I wonder if our “experience” is nothing more than a series of occurrences that has left us with a biased, sometimes jaded, image of how we perceive the world. My daughter, Eli, taught me something today… again. We were at the playground and she ambitiously approached a piece of equipment that was clearly to demanding for her physical abilities. As an adult, I would have measured up the task in my mind and realized that it was above me and moved on without wasting any time. In Love and Death, Woody Allen says, “Eighty percent of success is showing up”. I don’t know much about Mr. Allen or his work, but it is an insightful statement. Effort is often the only requisite to achievement. “Why not”, rather than just why? Muhammad Ali said, “To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are.” There is value in experience, with it comes wisdom. Sometimes it is wise to disregard what we know and adventure in the unknown. By the way, Eli eventually climbed that piece of equipment and her smile said it all.
