Bringing Your Seven-Year-Old Self Along for the Ride

Ben BeeriReally been on the topic lately of how can I help guide my younger self? Guiding your younger self, man, your younger self has so many questions, so many ambitions, so many dreams. Sit there and go back to when you were, like, seven years old. Who are you? Like, who are you as a person? Like, what is your true essence? What quantifies a friend for you? What quantifies fun for you? What do you get excited about? What do you dream about? Like seven year old you. Like, you're so pure. Like, life hasn't hit you fully.

You're just growing like each and every day. You're just taking the next step. You're living. You're not really thinking very much of what's around you, who's around you, the limitations that the world could potentially impose on you. Like, everything's so pure and so blissful, and you continue to grow, and as you continue to grow, more of life reveals itself, and you start seeing different things happening in your world. You start seeing different people showing up. You start seeing people leaving.

You start liking new activities. Old activities disappear. Like, man, I remember when I was younger, was five years old, I thought airplanes were cool. I just thought airplanes were cool, and that lasted a little while. Man, I thought trucks were cool. I'm not talking about like the big trucks. I'm talking about like the Ford trucks. And I ultimately got to a place where I really thought that autographs were cool. Autographs from athletes and celebrities. And looking back at it, I loved autographs from athletes and celebrities because I love the connection that are represented between myself as a kid as a fan, and the athlete or the celebrity that I looked up to.

And I realized that all the intentions you have when you're seven years old are pure. Like, there's no ulterior motive behind it. So the question I've been asking myself lately is, and the question I'm gonna ask you is, how can you tap back in to your seven year old self and let him come with you for the ride? Let him, let her come with you for the ride. Because the person you are today, your seven year old self would have dreamed you'd one day become. Like I sit here and I look at how my life evolved over time, and I've had some of the most incredible friends in the world.

I have some of the most incredible friends in the world. There were days where I felt so alone. Like, there is not one person out there. One. Like, give me one person that, can understand me, or see me, or want to be friends with me in a a capacity that I felt would make for a good friend. I got to start my dream business. I just celebrated the ten year anniversary of my dream business. I didn't even think it could possibly be a business when I was a kid. Like, I just had a hobby, and I thought my hobby was fun.

And I still think my hobby is fun, Except now, it's also a business. Traveling. Jumping in the water. I like water. I like oceans. I like being around water, jumping in the lake, jumping in the sea, kayaking through a river, like water. I like water. But who likes water? Is it 30 year old Ben who likes water? Or is it seven year old Ben who likes water? Because when I'm in the water, there's like a version of me that comes out. It's like exhale, bliss, play, and I'm sitting there going, oh my god.

There he is. That's little Ben. He's just playing, having fun, and being. Like, he's not here to prove anything to anyone. And sitting there and thinking of all the times in my life where I felt I had to earn or prove. Earning, Earning love, having people loving you, earning friendship, like putting in the work to provide enough value to another human being so they would be your friend. Proving my worth, proving that I had enough value, not only to make friends, but to the world, to the business world, to the marketplace.

By making enough money, I can be worthy. But seven year old me was already worthy. Like, I was already worthy as a seven year old kid. Why was I not worthy as a 20 year old man? Why did I have to earn? Why did I have to prove? And sitting here and thinking about those different stages of my life, sitting there and thinking that, hey, as a teenager, I really, really, really, really, really struggled with human connection. Like, really struggled. Like, no friends, like, no friends, like, zero. Like, feeling that I had been given up on, feeling like I was holding on with every bit of effort I had to not give up on myself.

And I look at it now, and I'm like, That was a stage of my life that today I am grateful for because it gives me that extra layer of patience. It gives me that extra layer of empathy. It gives me that extra layer of understanding for not only my situation, but others situations. Then I go back to my seven year old self. He never needed any of it. He never needed the feeling that somebody was going to or not going to give up on him, that he was worthy, that he was good enough. He just wanted to play.

He just wanted to express. He just wanted to be. He just wanted to dream. And I sit here and I think about the man I am today. What would seven year old Ben think of 30 year old Ben? I'm like, Like, I'd be the kid's hero. Like, because the person that I became over time was really for him. Like, I became the person that could stand on my own two feet for Him. I wasn't here doing it for anybody else. I may have thought I was. I may have thought I wanted to start a business and make money so I could have more friends or more material possessions or more power.

But I just wanted some seven year old kid to look at me and say, hey, like, dude, like, high five. You did it. And the you did it is like, again, just play, like, express, be. Like, I don't need to be anybody else to be accepted by my seven year old self, and he doesn't need to be anybody else to be accepted by me. And to sit there and think about that, somewhere along the way, we lose touch with who we are as a person. Not who we were, but who we are. Because that seven year old, he's still right here.

Still in your heart, like always. And so I sit there and I think about it nowadays. It's like, how can I bring my seven year old self with me? Wherever I go, like whatever I do, like the dreams he once had, like dude, like I got you, like we can do that, like I'm the one here standing on my two feet giving you permission, like, that's okay. Like, you wanted to go and ride a jet ski in the ocean. Dude, here's the fucking keys. Like, you wanted to go to a basketball game, bought your favorite player, sit in like good seats that are near the court.

Here's your tickets. You want to travel? Go somewhere. Dude. Booked your flight. Booked your hotel. Here's the experiences you're gonna go on, like, live that life that little you want. And I'm sitting here and thinking about it. It's like there's so many things that he wanted. And they're all so simple. And all these years, I spent over complicating it, rather than just looking at him and saying, hey, seven year old Ben, what do you want here? And he just wanted to be, and play, and express. And he just wanted to be in a place where he was accepted.

He had unconditional love, and he was able to give unconditional love. And there wasn't a need to be anything that he wasn't. So where does your seven year old self show up? Like, really, like, what is your seven year old self screaming at you right now, like, I want this. Not in a demanding way, not in a whiny way, not in a way of trying to pull you back, but in a way of, hey, I know you. Like, I am you. You don't have to try this hard. Like, this would make me happy. And do it. Like, do the thing, the simple thing that your seven year old self is asking you to do, and you'll thank yourself for it.

Like you will thank yourself for it. I'm curious. Comment below, share below. I'd love to hear what is your seven year old self want you, you today, to give to your seven year old self. Could be an experience, it could be like something that you hadn't like thought you could have before, but now you realize you can have it. Could be taking the next step towards a dream. What is it? What is the thing that you're going to give to your seven year old self? Let me know below. I'll talk to you soon.