Addiction To Complexity

"Kids are able to successfully navigate the world..."

At my age, it would be considered crazy to walk up to a random stranger at a mall and ask them to buy me ice cream and candy...but if a child were to walk up to them and ask that they buy the ice cream and candy, there's a higher chance that they would do it for them. Kids don't play by societal rules. They don't conform to the barriers of race, classicism, scarcity, stereotypes etc. Kids are able to successfully navigate the world making use of all resources at their disposal...this includes "strangers".

A part of kids freedom to explore without constraint is their lack of head knowledge. Yes. Lack of head knowledge. Kids rely on their intuition (heart knowledge) to make decisions. They are able to listen to the non-verbal communication that is sent out by everyone around them. This is the reason why two kids who have never met each other can - in a matter of seconds - create a bond solely based on the non-verbal communication they shared with each other right under our big red noses. Haven't you ever wondered why the person you might consider a stranger, a child may see as a friend, and the one you deem a friend, the child may see as a stranger?

"...as children we once knew it, then we were told to grow up"

The beauty of being a child is that you see the world for what it really is. You don't over-complicate everyday life with assumptions, stereotypes, false impressions, past failures, classicism, or any of the nasty practices we found on the way to adulthood. This means that the world of infinite possibilities is as real as our very existence.

As a child, I could do anything. It did not really matter to me what the challenge was, or how much physical strength would be required of me, all I knew was that if I wanted to, I could do it. This was very true and as children, we once knew it, then we were told to grow up.

Today it is not rare to find an adult who's in need of some assistance, bottle it up in themselves and try resolve it by themselves, even tough there may be people around that could assist...the only reason being that those people are "strangers" to them.

This also applies to entrepreneurs. The journey of entrepreneurship is one that requires a lot of collaborative effort and support due to its countless uncertainties and challenges. At the start of the entrepreneurial journey, it is easier for one to ask for assistance because they are aware that others are aware that they know little. The real challenge comes once the entrepreneur begins to feel that they are experienced/grown up. This becomes a challenge because for some reason, the entrepreneur begins to think that it would be embarrassing to ask for assistance fro others after having been in the field for a bit of time.

"...there's no experienced player when the rules of the game change."

The nature of entrepreneurship (and any other pursuit) is dynamic. Rapid change is the only constant. The deeper or higher you go into it, the more support you need. There more you learn, the more you discover you don't know. This is simply because there's no experienced player when the rules of the game change.

How does this all relate to childlike behavior?

Here's a question for you. If a child wanted to build a sand castle by the beach and halfway through they find that it isn't working out, what would they do? Assuming they randomly asked you for help and you told them exactly what they needed to do, but again, halfway through they encountered another challenge, what would they do?

Kids are curious beings. They are set on learning as much as they can about the world around them through any resource they can get their hands on - irrespective of whether they own or are familiar with the resource or not. They have no "strangers" because they understand that all who aren't against them are for them. They build allies everywhere they go and are always ready to learn and unlearn. They have the ability to see the simplicity in problems which we deem complicated.

Some of our "big" problems, issues, challenges or however you frame them, are a result of adult thinking. We may find that the answer or solution is as simple as our ABCs, but because we are accustomed to constraints, limitations, stereotypes, "experience" etc., we are unable to see them that way.

There is a reason why they emphasize the ability to explain something to a child as indication that you truly understand it. Give a child a life situation and they'll give you the best answer...and then you'll over-complicate it :)

Don't feel like going to work? Don't go. Don't like your job? Find another one. Don't like your relationship? leave it. Wanna start a business? Start it

The answers are that simple...We're just addicted to complexity.