Growing Down

Growing down is the opposite of growing up. Growing down is remembering the joy. Growing down is remembering how to have fun. Our childhood is the time that we’re the most creative. We don’t have that voice telling us no, telling us we may fail, telling us our ideas are stupid. 

This semester, I’ve been working on ignoring my voice of judgment. Remembering what it felt like to be a kid has helped me tremendously. It's so easy for kids to be creative. It comes naturally to them. Kids don’t worry about failing, they don’t worry about what other people think, they don’t worry about not being good enough. When I was a kid, I had fun. Every single day, I played, I laughed, I let my imagination out, and I had fun. 

Alan Alda once said “be brave enough to live life creatively,” and I think this perfectly sums up what I’m trying to say. It takes courage to fail. It takes courage to break out of your comfort zone. It takes courage to ignore your VOJ. Be brave enough to think like a kid again. 

Be brave enough to grow down.

Name: Jess Mumper

Year: Sophomore

Major: Marketing and Entrepreneurship co-major 

Minor: Emerging Technology in Business and Design

Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

Fun Fact: I am an ordained minister!