Reflect & Reveal: Remember Who You Are & Step Into 2026!

Ben BeeriMic check. Mic check. Welcome everyone. Great to see all you guys for Reflect and Reveal 2025. It's been a hell of a year for all of us. Lots of challenges, lots of moments, lots of memories, lots of different things that really have made us into who we are today. And as we reflect on our year of 2025, there are no actual endings. There's nothing that's coming to an end. It's really just the beginning that we are now opening ourselves up to. So I'm excited to have all you guys here. I was at a place a couple of years ago where I remember I was sitting there and reflecting, this was in 2023, I was taking a walk in Corona Del Mar, and I was by myself and I was thinking to myself, it's like, it would kind of be cool to get together, and I was doing reflections for the end of the year, and I was sitting there thinking it would be cool to get a few people together and to do reflections together, and to get ourselves in a place of what can we look back on that we can take with us, not only just let go of different things, but take with us into the New Year because we've all accomplished so much and we've all

become these people in this past year or the previous year or the year before that, that we do wanna take that with us. And when you guys walked in, you received a reflection sheet and the reflection sheet had three questions on it. And you guys were asked, what is your proudest moment of 2025? And that is something that I think for all of us is an important question because we always ask ourselves the difficult stuff, which is the difficult questions that put us down and we're hard on ourselves.

And we don't really check on the things that we're proud of and that we are excited about having done. So I think it's important that we look at the different things that we've done and reflect on those and the positive things especially because we earned that and we deserve to reflect on the things that are positive and that we're proud of that we did in 2025. So give yourselves a round of applause for showing up. Give yourselves a round of applause for being here. I'd say for me, one of my proudest moments of or one of my proudest things that I am in this past year of 2025 is I think for me, this was the year that I was able to remember who I am as a person and kind of show up as that person, whether I'm showing up with you guys whenever I see you guys in a conversation or showing up at work or showing up with friends or family or whatever situation I'm in. How can I show up as authentically as I can be And come from a place of this is who I've always been from when I was younger? Because

when I look at things, we all start out as a person who is not really wired any type of way. And then we kind of build all these different walls and armors through all these different traumas that we may or may not experience when we were kids. And we start becoming somebody for somebody else, not specifically for ourselves. Maybe we want to impress friends at school. We want to make friends. Maybe we want to play a sport. And all of a sudden now we're a different person so we can fit in with our teammates.

Maybe we want to go and get a job and now we are following a career path that really doesn't grow us or feed our soul or make us as authentic as we can be. And we all run through all these different things in our lives. But ultimately, there comes a time where you can look back at who you were and who you were born to be. And for me, I'd say one of the biggest things for me in 2025 was that I remembered who I was, who I was born to be, and that I can take that and carry that with me into 2026. I'm excited for that.

And I'd like to invite somebody else if if somebody would like to share what they're proud of that they had did in 2025. And Keaton right here, Nick.

Speaker 2Alright. Happy holidays. Let's go. Let's go. Something I'm really proud about myself that I achieved, well, it was actually the person I was with is I had a client that I helped get off a hospice. And so if you're not familiar with what hospice is, it's somebody that's basically on their way out on their deathbed. So I helped them get off a hospice, change their life around, they live independently and have a better quality of life and they're in their nineties. So that's one moment I really liked.

Love it.

Ben BeeriWho else would like to share? Hi, Mike over there.

Speaker 3Hi, everybody. My goal this year was to show up authentically because to your point, we're in different rooms and we show up how people want us to a lot. So my proud moment is standing by my belief system when I had every opportunity to choose differently.

Ben BeeriLove it. And it's really interesting the different things and different opportunities we have throughout the year to show up as ourselves, up authentically, help other people. Some people really end up in spots that are very difficult for them to be in. And it's like sometimes we're their last line of somebody they're relying on. And so I commend Keith and I commend Karina for being yourself. And it's really something where we're given all these different opportunities to do things not only that we're proud of, but to challenge ourselves and do things that move us into being somebody different.

And guys entered here today, you guys were each given a note card, which you guys were able to summarize your guys' words. So if you guys want to take thirty to sixty seconds and go ahead and introduce yourself to somebody who is sitting near you that you do not know and share your word with them. And that way you guys can get to know some of each other. Alright. So who would like to share with us what they got for their word in 2025? Who wants to share their one word? Lucky.

Speaker 5So for 2025 for me was risk. Risk. Take big risk and find out what happens. So it turned Hell out yeah. What

Ben Beerihappened this year where you got an opportunity to take a risk? Yeah. Last

Speaker 5half was pretty awesome. I got to fly in a helicopter. That's where I met you. Hell yeah. Flying a helicopter, literally hanging off the side of it, taking pictures of a speedboat going through a canyon. I think that was pretty badass. So that was a lot of fun. Another opportunity was working with one of my favorite photographers. He had a workshop and being able to have him pose me on the other end was one of those amazing moments where I had the room gasp because he was able to pose me in a certain way. And for me to be uncomfortable being in front of people, it just made me realize there's so much more to myself and then how I can do this for my clients as well. So, mean, taking that risk of being uncomfortable, again, that's where a lot of the growth happens, at least for me. And was that different than what you've done in the past?

Yeah, so normally I would, if I do workshops or anything of this sort, I would be more of the fly on the wall, just observe and just let things happen. And then I decided, hey, I'm gonna get really uncomfortable here. Be very vocal, ask my questions, don't worry about other people. And then I really got the best out of it because of doing that. So yeah, taking the risk. That's amazing. Love

Ben Beerithat. So lucky is risk for 2025. Oh yeah. Who else has one? Adam, what's your word?

Speaker 6Ours accountability.

Ben BeeriGive him a mic. Accountability,

Speaker 6basically showing up for others. Just kinda try to do that today, show up for you. But also showing up for yourself at the same time, you know, it's it's good to be selfish sometimes in that regard because a lot of times people give so much to others, but they forget to fill up their own cup. So, you know, combination of both. And what's an example of something that you've done to fill your own cup up? Giving back to others also fills up my own cup. So, you know, I have a lot to give and it's okay to give rather than just take sometimes.

Ben BeeriSure. But when when do you get an opportunity to give to yourself?

Speaker 6It's a challenge, you know. Maybe

Ben Beeriyou gotta work on that for 2026. Gotta work on that for 2026. Alright. We'll keep that in mind.

Speaker 6Thanks.

Ben BeeriYeah. No. And it's interesting because we get to a spot and we get all these different things that come up, and whether it's risk or accountability or wherever you're at in life, you have an opportunity to get into all different patterns where you don't have to carry forward with you the things that you've always done or the same patterns that you've always done. And while we do have these words can possibly define, hey, this was our last year. We have a word that defines the previous year and we have a word that defines the year before that.

And we have all the opportunity to say that we want to grow in these areas or we want to lean further into these areas or maybe we want to change some of these areas. And your definition or whatever word that you have really is something that is always going to be something that you take with you going forward. It's not something that, sure, you can let it go in a certain way if there are certain things that you prefer not to have, but you can continue to grow with it and you can continue to take it with you into 2026 and see the different areas in which you can transform yourself and become the person that you've always been meant to become. So it's been really interesting. I'd say for me something that I was able to work on and something that I was able to change or something that I've been able to notice with myself over this last year is you realize for me, realize that I'm not as alone as I think I am. And I realize that other people are not as alone as they think they are.

Is often we have all these different thoughts, we have these different ideas, and we may not really want to share them with anyone because we don't think that we're going to be understood. We don't think that people will be able to relate to us and what we have to say. And we hide what we think we're going through because we're insecure about it or because we worry that other people will not resonate with it. But the truth is, is there isn't going to be one person who understands everything that you're going through, but there's going to be a lot of people who understand some of what you're going through. And when you piece it all together, you're a lot more understood than you think you are.

So how can you get to a spot where you open up a little bit more about the things that you have in your life, the things that you're going through, the things you want to accomplish, the things you want to achieve, and ultimately, maybe somebody else listening to that on the other end, here's something that you have to say and goes, hey, I relate to that. That's going to inspire me to say something about what I have going on. And in turn, they can go out and help somebody else in a certain situation because they now relate to what they've got going on.

So I'd say that was a big one for me to look and kind of understand that, hey, there are certain people that will want to hear different things that we have going on in life and that you're never as alone as you think you are. There's always people that will want to hear different things that different people have to say, and you never know when somebody may resonate with you. So I'd say that that's something that for me was a big step in looking at things and something that I can carry on with me towards the end of towards next year and the years after that and hope to inspire different things and you guys to see what you guys are going through and share different things with different people. And hopefully, you guys were able to talk to a few different people tonight and get to know some people.

The other one that was really interesting was different memories that we have throughout the year. And some memories are good, some memories are not as good. And you can use the not so good memories to grow from, And you can use the good memories to reflect on and know that you can take them with you and know that you guys are capable of taking things with you into the future and experiencing things that really originate from a place of not knowing what you're stepping into, but the things that you don't know what you're stepping into can actually be greater than the variables that you may think you originally want.

So let's take a couple minutes and let's share your favorite moment from 2025 and also something that quietly changed you in 2025. Let's share that with your groups.

Speaker 5Hello?

Ben BeeriAlright, guys. Just had some great, great, great conversations with some of you guys. Some of you shared some really, really deep reflections and really just different growth points of your life, different areas where you saw how something maybe wasn't working or how something was working, but you could kind of tweak the way you were doing it. And really, there's no good and there's no bad. There's just the path of whatever is aligned with you and whatever it is that you're looking to do and whatever it is, whatever direction that you're looking to go into. And then what are the actions that you can take that fall within your own value system that can move you in that direction of what you are looking to change or different memories that you're looking at and what you can reflect on and what you can take from those memories that are really good for you and really are ones that you want to move forward. But even memories, there are some things to learn from. Sometimes you can look at something that was a good memory

and you look back at it and you're like, hey, I appreciate that memory for the person that I was at the time when I created the memory. But the person I am today wouldn't want that memory, I would no longer take part in creating a memory of that substance because maybe that was 2023 Ben, or maybe that was 2024 Ben, 2025 Ben, it happened, but 2026 Ben is past that stage of my life. And twenty twenty six Ben is not going to want to take part in that memory. So I had some really heard some great things from you guys. Would love to encourage a couple of you guys to change. I know question two with what quietly changed in 2025.

What is something that quietly changed in you in 2025 is kind of a little bit more challenging one. Who wants to take on that challenge? Here we go, Melania. Let's do it. Of course, you get the mic. You get the mic. I had a You get the mic and then Nick's got you with a camera too. Right? Always. Damn. You get to be famous now. By the way, for everyone here, we are recording the event and you will be able to check yourself out or check the event out or share it with your friends on the Authentic Journey podcast on YouTube and Spotify and Apple. So it will be, uh, something that you can share with everyone and we will actually have, uh, the reflection questions put in the description. So anybody who couldn't attend the event tonight can actually partake in similar activities that we have, uh, at home.

And so we're able to make that shareable and make it interactive for everybody else. But Melania, I would love to hear from you. What quietly changed in you in 2025?

Speaker 4So what quietly changed me is that realizing that my best is not always enough. And it kind of hurts in a way. You might think like, oh, it's my best. It should be enough. But, like, I had to think about it and rewire my brain. That being the best doesn't mean I will succeed. So I was wondering what causes success because everyone thinks they're the best. So I was kind of starting to think about that and I was starting to realize that maybe it's not being the best, but it's the energy behind your confidence that really drives success.

So knowing that you are in your job fulfilled, you're place where you understand, maybe that's what drives success, not just being the best. Because I could have all the confidence in the world and I will get somewhere. But if I'm just not understanding what I'm doing in life and I feel complacent and I just don't know what I'm doing, maybe that's what's not like, that's what's causing fruitless results. So just because I'll try my best, it doesn't mean that I have to, like, be somewhere, but knowing inside that like, if I have confidence to apply myself even if I'm not the best, that's what will drive me through. So I think like handling rejection is really what changed me. And it's not so much rejection is awful, I think rejection is redirection.

But knowing what I have to do to be successful is not just being the best, it's not beating someone, it's something internally in me, it's a confidence, and it's the energy. The energy you give out is the energy you give in. So I think what really changed me is knowing that no matter where I am, what stage I am in my life, and what place I feel like, what I deserve, it's like, if I just have that energy, the light will come back to me. And I will think, okay, well, this I'm ready for this regardless if I really am best at it. So that's what really changed me. Amazing.

Ben BeeriNow, what where I'm curious for your example, where where did this show up in your life?

Speaker 4So I I think if you have been to Ben's event, I talked about how I'm in rowing, and I'm a coxswain. And I'm pretty unexperienced, so no, I'm not the best. But I have to tell eight people what to do all the time. And it's in me that I know I'm not the best at it. I do know that. But if I have a little bit of, like, uncertainty, everything will go in shambles, and I've seen it go. And it's not even whether or not I'm saying the right things or the wrong things. Like, I could be doing everything completely incorrectly, but if I have some type of uncertainty and zero confidence, oh, everything will be gone.

And then I realized like, maybe it's not me even calling things right, maybe it's me pretending I know that everything will be okay. And giving them guidance and giving them support, even though I'm not completely knowledgeable, I'm not the best at it, my confidence gets them farther. It does. So I've had races where I don't know what the what I'm doing at all. And I've had races where I do know what I'm doing. But the only difference between the two is my confidence. And I've had people do better when I had no idea what I was doing. No idea. Because it's not really me being best, it's me understanding that I can do something just confidently, securely, knowing that that will come back to me in other ways. If you're confident everyone else around you will reply in an energetic way, and I think that just causes so much growth to realize that You just don't have to be the best. You just have to know that it is up to you to pretend you are. So

Ben BeeriLove that. And it's really it's really interesting because when do we ever actually fully know what we're doing at whatever stage we're at, both figuratively and literally. But we get to a space where we have an option to take action or to not take action. And sometimes if we wait until we're a 100% ready to do something, you'll never do it because you'll never be a 100% ready. And you sit there and you think of the greatest athletes that have ever played and hey, Michael Jordan taking a game winning shot in the nineteen ninety eight NBA finals. Right? It's like, are you fully prepared for exactly what's going to happen?

The answer is likely not, but you can trust that you've put yourself in a spot where you are fully prepared to adapt and to adjust to the current circumstances to put yourself in the best possible spot to succeed in that area. So that's something that I find really interesting. I feel like there's a lot of hesitation on a lot of our parts in the different things that we do in life because we sit there and we think, hey, I am not a 100% ready. And it is okay to not be a 100% ready because we're human beings and you likely will never be a 100% ready. But if you tell yourself that you're not ready and you're not capable of it, you're going to be right about that.

But if you tell yourself that, hey, I haven't done this before, but the only way I can find out if I'm ready to do this is by doing it. I'll share a great example with you guys, you guys could relate to me tonight. Today is my first time holding a stage by myself. I'm like, before this event, should I have somebody Sitting there thinking, hey, people are gonna wanna watch me speak, people are gonna wanna hear what I have to say. Uh, do I wanna have somebody else on the stage with me to kind of buffer what I have to say, give myself less time that I have to be on the air, give myself less time where I have to speak and where I'm coming up with different thoughts of things to say.

And I'm like, you know what? Because I'm having these thoughts, I am definitely going on the stage by myself on December 29 because if it's not this time, then I'm just going to have to have a first time next time or another time. And we sit there and we delay taking that actionable step in our lives many times. And sometimes you just got to go and step onto that stage both figuratively and literally and let it fly and see what happens and see give it your best shot and see what ends up happening and see the impact that you can make on everybody else. I told myself coming here tonight that while you guys all came here for me and to be here for me, it is on me to come here and show up for you and see what I can do to help with you guys and help with your guys' reflections and help set a really positive and great intention for you guys for your 2026 and give you guys the most kick ass 2026 that we can do. So I am really excited that you guys are all here and you guys have all been able to join us tonight.

And when we all got here tonight, we received a note card. And on that note card, we wrote what our word was for 2025. And the really cool thing is that you guys all still have your pens with you. And I want you guys to all close your eyes and think of yourselves a year from today. It is December 2026. And so many things have gone amazingly in your life. All these things that you've wanted to happen have been pushed aside for things that are so much better than the things that you actually want.

And you're sitting there looking back on your 2026 and you're doing something similar. You're reflecting on your year and you're sitting there thinking, wow, what an amazing year. This has been the best year I have ever had. And what is that reflection that you have? And we all wrote down a word on our note card when we came in as to what our word was for 2025. What is your word for 2026? Your word that really defined your year and that made it the best year you've ever had. So you guys can open your eyes. You guys all have your original note card with your word on it.

My word was remembrance. This was the year that I remembered who I was born to be and who I am going to be going forward. And you can take your note card and flip it to the other side, and you can write down your word for 2026. Alright. I trust that we all have some amazing words for 2026 because 2026 is going to be the best year we've ever had. And the word that is going to define our year is the best word that we could possibly think of. My word for 2026 is alignment. And for me, 2026 is going to be about stepping into arenas where they are aligned with me and I am taking actions that are aligned with who I am as a person, what I believe is right, what I want to do, and most importantly, taking the actionable steps kind of like we talked about earlier when I'm not ready, when the circumstances are unknown, where I am not sure of what the outcome will be, but I have two options and one is to take a step forward and the other is to not take a step at all.

I will take a step forward. I will step into the unknown, and I will lead with alignment in 2026. And I'm excited to see what this year holds. I have no idea what it's gonna hold, but if you sit there and you think about the greatest memories you guys have that you reflected on, the greatest relationships you guys have, the greatest things that have happened in your life, personal business, the greatest wins you've had, the greatest moments you've had, they all really originate from something you didn't actually know existed.

Sometimes our mind put something in front of us and really just limits us because we are limited to the capacity of our own mind. And we think we may want a certain outcome. But what if we just let go of the outcome and allowed what was actually meant to happen, happen. And it's going to be so much greater than what we want and what we originally wanted and what we originally thought we wanted. And that's what 2026 is going to be for us. We may want something now. We may want to see something. We may want a certain relationship or a certain job or a certain win, personally, business, whatever it is that you're doing. And we have that in our mind right now and we are focusing all of our energy to try to get it.

But maybe, just maybe, something that much greater than what you want is out there for you. So in 2026, step into the unknown. That word you have on your note card, carry it with you because that word is yours. Remember your word from 2025 because it's always yours. Nobody can take that away from you. And allow 2026 to be that much greater than you can even imagine right now. Thank you, guys.