This blog post is created in partnership with Life is Good Co. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help bring In it 4 the Long Run to life!

“Each of us has a unique journey marked by experiences that shaped who we are.” -Bert + John Jacobs, Co-founders of Life is Good

One of my favorite questions I get to ask on the Chasing Joy Podcast is “what did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?” The answers tend to shed a lot of light on a person’s current career. So often the things we care about when we were young end up shaping our intentions and desires as adults.

When people feel lost around their career or passions, it can be informative to look into what you did as a kid. What could suck you in for hours? Was it playing on a team sport? Did you enjoy being part of the theater? Did you love playing outside? While some of these things won’t directly translate into a career, many of the skills you learn from hobbies do translate into insights you can use in your daily life.

Learning From my 11-Year-Old Self

As a kid, I was constantly creating. One year it was knitting, the next year it was collaging, the next it was clay jewelry, and the list goes on and on. Another aspect of the constant creation was a fearless desire to share what I created. In seventh grade, I constructed an entire duct tape outfit and wore the whole ensemble to school. During my sewing phase, I’d sell my mini purses at local craft fairs. I wanted to connect with people through my creative outlets not just create for myself.

So it really doesn’t surprise me at all that I do what I do now. I love to connect with people and share those conversations. It’s always easier to see the connections between your hobbies and career looking backward, but I’d argue it’s a great place to look when you’re feeling lost.

Re-Learning to Be Brave

Something I want to emulate from my 11-year-old self is the courage I used to have around sharing my truth and creations. I always knew I was a little different, heck I chose to rock a buzz cut at age eight. Yet I didn’t let that stop me from being myself.

These days I’ll often censor what I want to say because I’m afraid of how people will perceive it. I want to make everyone else comfortable, so I stay silent on issues I care about. Only my closest friends know how silly, weird and sensitive I really am.

I think 26-year-old Georgie could learn a lot from my younger self when it comes to expressing herself despite her fears. I knew that wearing a duck tape outfit wasn’t going to earn me a seat at the cool table but I did it anyway. I think it’s time to show up just like I did then. Courageously and creatively me.

Life is Good is Honoring Their Roots

In the spirit of honoring your younger self, your roots I’m super excited to share the Life is Good is bringing back some of its original designs to celebrate their 25th anniversary. These are the designs that started it all.

While I’m a huge believer that we all get to grow and evolve sometimes growth is unlearning too. Sometimes growth is honoring the parts of yourself that have always been true. I love these vintage tee’s from Life is Good because you can style them any way you like. Whether it’s knotted with a pair of jeans or layered under a cardigan you can rock the good vibes however you please.

Shop the vintage collection here

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