Get your hands dirty

WE COULD LEARN A LOT FROM A CHILD

Yesterday was a first for me. One of our good friends Steve Fettes took me on my first duck hunt. We met up early in the morning and headed out to the pond. It wasn't long before the birds started to come in, and us to send the dog into the water to do her job. But as much fun as it was, and it was a blast, it was what happened later in the day that I learned something valuable. Something I felt I needed to share with all of you so we can stop being so scared to get our hands dirty. 

When I pulled into the driveway the kids came running to the truck asking if I got anything. I proudly climbed out of the truck feeling like a caveman who just brought home the days kill to feed his family, and answered with, "look in the back of the truck." It took about 5 seconds for Cadyn our youngest daughter (only 8 years old) to climb in there and grab a bird and say "cool". Since this was my first duck hunt I have never cleaned out a bird before, except Thanksgiving on the counter top, but this was going to be much different. I set up shop on the tailgate on my truck and Cadyn was right there holding the ducks, eager to jump right in. I made a small cut at the top of the breastbone and Cadyn grabbed the bird out of my hands and said "just like this daddy" as she exposed the breast meat. She pulled and plucked, laughing and smiling the whole time. (remember this was my first time so it is not like she EVER saw this before) Once I cut the breast away from the bird I handed it to her and she washed it off in a bowl of water and rinsed it off under the garden hose. 

I tell you this story because while I sat back and watched my baby girl clean a duck for the first time, without any hesitation, I noticed how pure and eager she was to learn something new. Experience something she has never done before. Cover herself with bird feathers and duck goo. I wondered at what age we lose that quality. At what point in life do we become so up-tight and prudish. Most of us are hesitant to just stick our hands into something unknown, we fear the worst in everything. We always make statements of what "could" happen if we do this or do that. But it is this attitude when we were kids that made us curious and want to dream big. We just ruin it ourselves as we mature. 

I think that if we can look at a child and bring those qualities back into our lives and businesses we will again dream big. Don't be so scared to touch something new. Don't be so skittish to get your hands dirty. Don't stop when your curiosity takes over and you want to know the unknown. Go for it! Jump right in! Grab that fear and expose it! Don't loose sight of who you once were and bring that inner child back into the picture and have fun. There is so much we can learn from the purity of a child, we just have to watch them and pay attention. If you do, you might just be taken back of how much you have changed and how different you have become. Be that adventurer again. Take this and apply it to your business and life. Don't just touch the feathers of your journey, get your hands dirty and dig right in. Just like Cadyn tore it apart, tear everything you do apart. Dig in, open it up, expose it, and STOP BEING SCARED OF WHAT YOU MIGHT TOUCH!