Were you a spirited child? If so, it has likely enhanced many areas of your adult life in ways you probably don’t even realize. Creativity, passion and imagination are mere examples of the potential unlocked by your spirited lifestyle. Teachers may have been annoyed at your wandering mind, parents could have been frustrated at your constant questioning, and friends may have shrugged at your suggestions. But with curiosity and energy comes intelligence. Here are 7 signs that prove you were a spirited child:
You were busy exploring all the time
A spirited child doesn’t just sit on his or her hands. They explore the environments available to them; looking under rocks for new insects, searching the new house in its entirety, swimming to the bottom of the lake, breaking away from the excursion group to see what’s behind the ‘do not pass’ sign. Limitations bore a spirited child. Exploration unravels secrets, opens up new possibilities and allows you to become reliant on yourself rather than others.
You don’t conform easily, you would debate a lot
Some children believe everything they hear…but not you. Curiosity sparked questioning, which in turn built learning and intelligence. If a statement sounds untrue to you, you’ll debate it with all the relevant points you can think of. Challenging others and believing in your own views makes you an individual. And if there’s a group building? You don’t just conform and fall in line. You question them; why should I join you? What do you stand for? What are the alternatives?
You could be easily distracted
Sitting in class, seeing that spider try to squeeze through the window while your maths teacher rabbles on about algebra. The outside world offered so much more than the blackboard, so distractions as a child were a constant. A spirited child grows bored with repetition, seeking something new to analyze. This has stemmed into your profession as an adult. There’s no way you’ll be someone like an accountant, because you need more stimulation than that. Creative fields such as the arts allowed you to make your own fun, and removed the ease of distraction. But listening and watching other people tell you what to do didn’t resonate.
You had unlimited energy
Who needs 8 hours sleep when there’s so much to do and see? Red Bull and coffee wasn’t needed to run around the house at top speed, pretending to be your favorite animal. Sugar hits weren’t necessary to play in the backyard all day with your pets. Having unlimited energy meant you didn’t miss an opportunity; you were never ‘too tired’ to take an adventure. And when you look back now, you can only dream of that energy, and how amazing it was to have those natural levels.
You were very rich in emotions and cry quite a lot
Emotions can be sold as a negative during childhood, but an early understanding of emotions benefits your progression into an adult. It builds empathy, it creates a base of knowledge on how to react in certain situations and it helps you deal with the problems in your life. A movie, or a song, or a book may have reduced you to tears, because of the characters feeling more real than the people around you. Anger, fear, sadness; they are all elements of the spirit, and you felt them greatly in your stages of growth. But having that background, and with more control, you’re a stronger person because of it.
You could be easily stimulated by the environment
Video games were great, but the great outdoors inspired you more than a flashing screen. Fresh air fueled your adventures. Fresh green leaves, bright blue water in the ocean, the sounds of waves crashing against the rocks; these were the greatest stimulants in your childhood. People remained in the periphery, when the facts of nature were involved. Animals, plant life, the smells of the wild: all these factors were boosts to the energy levels, especially if the majority of your time was confined to a big city.
You were eager to try new things and do things yourself
Reliance is overrated. Your independence grew from trying new things yourself. Dive right in and see what the consequences were. You didn’t need a teacher to hold your hand, or a parent to watch you; often, it was even better without a friend over your shoulder. Spirited children test their limits and boundaries from a young age, so by the time they reach the teenage years (and adult life) they have a greater understanding of themselves. They walk tall in any situation, reliant on their own abilities. If you were a spirited child, these 7 signs will resonate. They are the greater positives of being a kid, and they involved fantastic attributes that continue to be a part of your make-up today. Think back to all those memories, and know your life was more full due to your renegade lifestyle.
