I am 29-years-old. I share this with you so that you understand that I still am in the process of growing up. I have a long way to go as do most men my age (or men of any age). For men, the growing up process takes quite a while. My dad told me he still hasn’t fully grown up and he is 62.

We all mature at different speeds and in different ways. But sometimes growing up isn’t such a good thing. Here are a few reasons I avoid growing up:

• I really love my mom’s cooking and she makes things the way I like it! I know my wife hates it when I say this, but remember I am still growing up!
• I like eating ravioli, spaghettiO’s, and Bagel Bites! My wife makes fun of me and thinks all of these foods are gross. If growing up means not eating these things I am not sure I want to grow up.
• Deep down, I am still a Toy’s R Us kid. Seriously, I love toys. I wish I could have my own play room.

Of course those are some fun reasons I avoid growing up, but there is one serious reason I think we all should stop growing up and be kids again. It is a really, really BIG reason.

Kids are better DREAMERS than adults.

Do you remember when you were a kid? What were your dreams? What did you want to be when you grew up? Did you become whatever it was?

When we were kids we were so innocent and creative. Our dream machines were in full gear. We wanted to be astronauts, inventers, professional athletes, teachers, police officers or fire fighters.

Do you remember as a kid when you would see a stick on the ground and immediately that stick would become a Ninja Sword or a Lightsaber (for the Star Wars lovers!). What happens now if you see your kids or any kids playing with a stick? We would probably say put down that dirty stick! Where did all that imagination go?

We grew up… We were told we couldn’t do certain things. We failed. We struggled. We changed. We let other people steal our dreams.

When I was a kid I created my own Dream List as part of a goals program I went through. I added to that list as I got older. Here are some of the things I wrote down:

• Be just like my Dad. (Meant become a speaker)
• Write a book.
• Attend a Championship Parade in Philadelphia.
• Go Sky Diving.
• Marry the girl of my dreams! (Yes I literally wrote this down.)

I accomplished all of those things! I also wrote some things down that didn’t happen or haven’t happened yet.

• Buy my old house back in Pennsylvania.
• Be a Sports Writer and write for the Philadelphia Daily News and have my own radio show on WIP in Philly.
• Go to Temple University.
• Throw out the first pitch at a Phillies game.
• See a game in every baseball stadium (working on this one still!).
• Meet Rocky Balboa! (I know he isn’t real, but come on this was my list!)
• Meet Bruce Springsteen! (Speaking of growing up, Bruce has a great song called Growin’ Up.)

As I have “grown up” I have added less and less to my Dream List. You probably can relate. It gets harder and harder when we are faced with reality. But that doesn’t mean that dreaming is only for kids. Dreaming is for everyone. Whether you are 4 or 40 or 29 or 79 having dreams is a must.

When I speak to groups I often give attendees their own Dream List to fill out. Sadly, people don’t spend the time to fill it out. Or they can’t even fill it up with things they want to do because it’s just too hard. They don’t want to be unrealistic.

But when I give this list to kids? It is so easy for them. They fill it up and ask for another one. They have so many great ideas for their lives. One kid a while back wrote that he wanted to spend a week in the hotel made out of ice he saw on the travel channel! How cool is that? I want to do that!

We are approaching the end of 2015. It is now the time that we think about what we want out of the next year. Before you do that though, I urge you to take a trip back in time to when you were just 10 years old.

Get in that mindset and that start making your own Dream List. Come up with at least 100 dreams.

Where do you want to go? Who do you want to become? What are some totally unrealistic things that if you had the opportunity to do, you would?

Stretch yourself with this activity. Stop being a grown up for just a little bit. The results will be powerful.

If you could use some help creating your Dream List or in setting better goals I recently released a free 4 week course on goal setting. In the course I help you create a roadmap for achieving your goals and avoid some of the common mistakes people make when goal setting. In the first lesson, you create a Dream List. Sign up below!