“The fire you felt as a child wasn’t random — it was revelation.”
So much of adulthood is recovery.
Recovering joy. Wonder. The part of you that didn’t care about job titles — only about what made you feel *something.*
Before you learned to measure your worth in productivity, there were things that made you forget time. A story you wrote. A project you started. A question you couldn’t stop asking.
That’s the real curriculum. And it didn’t end when school did.
The gifts that lit you up before the résumé are not outdated. They’re just waiting. Waiting for you to trust them again.
You don’t need to monetize every joy. But you do need to honor it.
Because the soul doesn’t forget. It leaves breadcrumbs. And one of the most sacred acts of adulthood is picking them up.
Picture your 10-year-old self in their natural habitat — doing something they loved. Now imagine asking them: 'What do you think I should be doing today?' Let the answer come. Then journal what they said.
Find one object, book, or tool from your childhood passion — and place it on your desk or altar today. Let it remind you who you are.
Aaron Z. “Rediscovering my childhood passion for maps led me into user experience design. It wasn’t about going backward — it was about honoring my core pattern.”
Before the world told you what to want, your heart already knew.