I Am Still That Kid & So Are You

Not that long ago I was a guest on a podcast and one of the questions asked was, "what I was like when I was seven?"

I told the host that I was a kid who loved to be around people. I was a kid who loved to laugh, I was sensitive; a kid who loved to have fun, and someone who loved to help people.

For those who are fans of the Enneagram, I am a 7.

When I was seven we lived in a little town in northern New Jersey and I would ride my bike down our little country road often visiting my neighbors and offer to help them with whatever they may be doing.

I may have had more friends that were in their 70s than any other seven-year-old previously or since and I can still remember their names and faces to this day.

I remember Mr. & Mrs. Gurten whom I would help with yard work and she would give me snacks and a dollar.

I remember Mr. & Mrs. Kenney, who lived on the other side of our property and whom I would help in their garden. I also remember a host of others I just loved being around.

That question was one of the best I have ever been asked on a podcast, and here is what I loved about it.

That little kid is that it is still me!

I still love to laugh and have fun.

I still cry easily.

I still love to be around people and help them in any way that I can.

When I strip away all the complexities of my adult self, when I reject the voice of shame that whispers in my ear, when I am the purest form of myself, I am still that seven-year-old kid.

The reality is, we are all still our seven-year-old selves, it is probably the most authentic self we have ever been and it is whom we were created to be.

But for most of us, somewhere along the line, we lost sight of that and began to identify with a lie that we believed - we lost our identity.

For some, it may have been a series of events that got you to buy into the lie. For others, it may be wounding from a parent or a form of abuse. For others, it was a teacher, a religious leader, or a betrayal from a friend.

No matter the source, it causes us to believe lies about who we are and keeps us from being the truest form of ourselves.

This of course derails the opportunity to live our best lives.

Life Design is about many things, but first and foremost it is about getting back to who God created you to be so you can live your best life possible.

If you are struggling with living your best life possible, begin with going back to your seven-year-old self and identifying who you were.

That kid is still there within you, but may be buried under a heap of lies.

The good news is that you can rediscover yourself and the joy you will find when you get back to that place is priceless!

On the journey with you,

Carlos

This edition was first published in The Life Design Newsletter on LinkedIn.