The sound of a child’s laughter is one of the most beautiful, soul-brightening, mood-lifting things in the world, but why is that? While there may be a scientific theory behind this, the reason might be simpler than we give it credit for: The sound of a child’s laughter reminds us of hope, and of the zest for life we all once had.

Every child is unique in his or her own regard, but one thing every child has in common is a thirst for life. Not just every day, but every moment is a reason to be excited in a child’s mind. You can learn a thing or two from children that should make your own life a little happier and stress-free.

Don’t Hold On to Sadness

Children have this amazing ability to bounce back from something unpleasant in little to no time. You may have noticed this with your own child, a niece or nephew, or the child next door. One minute, the kid is throwing a tantrum because something didn’t go his or her way. The next, he or she is all giggles because a butterfly flew by or a garbage truck appeared.

Though you shouldn’t bottle sadness or try to stave it off with other things that make you happy, you should attempt to learn something from a child’s resiliency. When something doesn’t go your way, instead of internalizing the disappointment, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and find happiness in the next thing. Do as a child does and look around — you’re sure to find something that will make you smile.

Entertain Your Curiosity

People are naturally curious creatures, but whereas children embrace this side of themselves, adults tend to hide it. Why is that, though? Curiosity is a great thing in that it encourages you to take risks, try new things, visit new places and take advantage of your free time. When you begin to feel curiosity rise to the surface, don’t suppress it, but rather entertain it for an opportunity to try something new and do something great.

Try New Things

Adults commonly assess a risk and count the number of ways an activity can result in failure, but children look at risk differently. Children see an opportunity to learn something new and develop additional skills. Instead of automatically denying the opportunity to try something new because of the “what ifs,” follow the lead of your children and jump in with both feet. If a positive outcome appears more likely than a failure, take the risk. Even if you regret it after the fact, you’ll feel safe in the knowledge that you regret something you tried rather than something you didn’t.

Speak Your Mind

Children do not have filters, and while this may be embarrassing at times, it’s actually very refreshing. Though there is a time and a place to keep your thoughts to yourself, there are many others when your input would provide valuable insight even if, at the time, it’s something the other person doesn’t want to hear. When the fear of judgment or rejection threatens to keep you from expressing yourself sincerely, channel your inner child and just say what’s on your mind.

Have Fun

Finally, remember to have fun. Though you can’t make your worries and responsibilities disappear, you can make the choice to set them on the back burner, if only for a couple of hours, to really enjoy yourself. By setting aside time each and every day for pleasant activities, you can begin to see more of the beauty that children see every day.

Adults are often so focused on teaching children that they fail to take time to listen to what children have to teach them. If you’re feeling stressed out, overwhelmed or just plain bored, take cues from your inner child. He or she has a lot of wisdom to impart.