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Protecting Your Inner Child

Steven Barnes
4 min readSep 30, 2021

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We too should make ourselves empty, that the great soul of the universe may fill us with its breath. — Laurence Binyon

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Sifu Carl Totton advised that I change one of my habit patterns. In alignment with seeking longevity, he suggested that I not visualize myself becoming very old, but instead visualize myself connecting to the “Child” personae. I suppose that’s what some call “Youthing.” It’s definitely an interesting practice, and I understand the psychology: you can’t “not think of a purple cow” but you CAN easily “think of a yellow tree”…which functionally is the same thing, but much more effective.

What are the warning signs of a lack of a healthy connection to this part of yourself?

  1. Lack of emotional energy.
  2. Lack of creativity. Children live close to their dream-time, and that’s all you need to access endless ideas and brainstorming.
  3. No drive for physical motion. A baby that doesn’t crawl, taste, explore its space is of concern.
  4. Lack of self-protective instinct. if you have ANY hesitation in the arena of self-protection, you need to start here.
  5. Lack of self-love. The natural human protective/adoration instinct toward helpless children is innate. If you don’t feel it, someone hurt you. As simple as that. You are still carrying that damage with you.
  6. Lack of that “genius spark”. All genius is, in this sense, is the capacity to focus your enthusiasm on…

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Steven Barnes
Steven Barnes

Written by Steven Barnes

Steven Barnes is a NY Times bestselling author, ecstatic husband and father, and holder of black belts in three martial arts. www.lifewritingpodcast.com.

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