Shownotes
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Today, I'm diving into a moment I had while watching a Bob Marley film that really shook things up for me. I realized I've been looking at life all wrong for a long time. Instead of just focusing on healing my inner child, I started thinking: what if I asked my seven-year-old self how they would see my life now? That innocent perspective might help us break free from the limits we’ve built over the years. So, let’s explore how we can tap into that childlike wonder and see what new possibilities life has to offer us.
A deep dive into the essence of childhood innocence takes center stage. The host, Stephen Webb, shares a personal moment from a cinema experience while watching a Bob Marley film. This moment prompts him to reflect on the wisdom of our younger selves, particularly the resilience and courage found in childhood. Stephen explores how societal expectations and teachings often limit our potential as adults, urging listeners to reconnect with that fearless, imaginative child within. He emphasizes that this inner child sees possibilities where adults often see constraints. By embracing this perspective, we can unlock a new approach to life, filled with hope and creativity.
Takeaways:
- In this episode, I reflected on a profound moment I had while watching a film, leading to important life insights.
- I discussed how my childhood experiences shaped my views on responsibility and self-perception as an adult.
- The idea of approaching life with the curiosity and courage of my seven-year-old self is crucial for personal growth.
- I emphasized the importance of seeing the world through innocent eyes, free from adult-induced limitations and fears.
- I shared how societal expectations often limit our potential and how we can reconnect with our youthful aspirations.
- The podcast encourages listeners to embrace their inner child and explore life without the constraints of adult beliefs.
Transcripts
Hello and welcome to Stillness in the Storms, the podcast that helps you through difficult times.
Speaker A:I'm Stephen Webb, your host and in this podcast I'm going to tell you about a moment I had while sat in the cinema watching the Bob Marley show one Love show film.
Speaker A:And it had really a deep, profound impact because it's kind of I've got everything wrong for so long.
Speaker A:Psychologist, books, I've read all those other things and coaches and everybody blogs I've read all had it in my opinion, now the wrong way around.
Speaker A:And I may not be right, but this aligns more with Zen Buddhism teaching and all that.
Speaker A:And I just never seen it before.
Speaker A:So I'm going to share that on today's podcast.
Speaker A:Before that, I want to thank everybody for supporting.
Speaker A:I want to thank my new founding member.
Speaker A:Welcome to to the Founding Members Club.
Speaker A:Every week I share a reflective video where I read a bit from a book or a poem.
Speaker A:Today I released about where I read a couple of my favorite pogroms, the ones I always go back to after a long time.
Speaker A:They're just giving me a little piece of inner peace really and my thoughts on them.
Speaker A:And in there we can chat and all that with the comments and all.
Speaker A:And every month and we haven't done one yet, but we're going to do one at the end of March.
Speaker A:I will announce the day and time tomorrow where we can get together live and do a live guided meditation.
Speaker A:So thank you everybody.
Speaker A:Just head over to stephenweb.uk and then you can either go and join the founding members or you can donate on Buy a Coffee to support the show.
Speaker A:You are awesome.
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Speaker A:So, okay, so I was sat in the cinema.
Speaker A:The film was good.
Speaker A:I enjoyed the film.
Speaker A:So before I say I it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be.
Speaker A:I don't want anybody to think to the film was not good.
Speaker A:It was good and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Speaker A:It's just I knew the Bob Marley Story and it didn't really add much to it.
Speaker A:And although the music was all the way through it, I think it ended quite abruptly.
Speaker A:But there was one point in it and I sat there and my mind wandered as it does and for a long, long time I'd read blogs, I read books by well known psychiatrist and psychologists and I use those words interchangeably, they're not the same thing, I know but I use them interchangeably because I not always understanding the nuances of the differences but all these professional people that tells me that I have to heal my inner self, my seven year old self.
Speaker A:Now then, just to give that some context, my 7 year old self, 7, 8 years old.
Speaker A:I don't know whether they were exactly 7 but for some reason in my heart I hold it as.
Speaker A:He was seven years old and my parents had a divorce and it was particularly messy.
Speaker A:I remember my dad coming to pick me up and I used to cry and he used to be late sometimes and they used to argue and it wasn't pretty not judging my parents for that.
Speaker A:I'm not my parents, I don't know what each other put each other through and things like that, you know, what difficulties they had.
Speaker A:I'm just, from my perspective it was difficult and when my dad left my mum said some words to me that she meant absolutely well.
Speaker A:She said to me, steven, you're the man of the house now.
Speaker A:Now then what she said was, you know, you're awesome.
Speaker A:And you know, I suppose from her perspective she was promoting me to some kind of, I don't know, to give me some confidence, to give me something I don't really know, I kind of know but it's hard to explain it but what I heard was, damn, I've got to provide, I've got to do all these things, I've got to fix all the problems.
Speaker A:You know, that's what dad does, he fixes all these problems when things go wrong.
Speaker A:I've got to do that now.
Speaker A:I've got to be the emotional support, I've got to help my mom, I've got to help my sister.
Speaker A:And of course when you're seven, you don't know you're seven, you know you're seven.
Speaker A:But you're an adult, you're wise and when you're 11 you're an adult and wise.
Speaker A:When you're a teenager you know everything.
Speaker A:So at any given age you have the complete knowledge.
Speaker A:Although you know you don't have the complete knowledge if that makes sense.
Speaker A:Like now, if I was to say to you, anything in your brain, you've got the complete of everything.
Speaker A:Deep down, philosophically you know you haven't, but it feels like you have.
Speaker A:Does that make sense?
Speaker A:Don't if that makes sense or not.
Speaker A:So what was this deep profound thought I had?
Speaker A:So for years I'd done meditations And I've got one of my inner peace meditations.
Speaker A:It's about healing the child within, giving them comfort.
Speaker A:Now if they're comfortable and loved, it goes into the adulthood and I'll feel comfortable and loved.
Speaker A:Now I'm not saying that's not true, absolutely that is true.
Speaker A:But I didn't see it from another angle.
Speaker A:So I approach life on a daily basis of no, I don't really, that's not entirely true.
Speaker A:So, but in general I look at it as that if I can hit all that inner self, if that inner self can be deeply loved and then I'll be more loved now and I'll have more self love and I'll be more vulnerable, more courageous, more complete.
Speaker A:But the reality is with all the knowledge and everything I know now, I don't see the world through the right lenses of ignorance and naivety.
Speaker A:And I think we need to sometimes.
Speaker A:So I was sitting in the cinema and I thought about it.
Speaker A:So instead of me always telling my 7 year old self reassurance, you're loved, you're doing awesome, you're doing amazing, if only you could see what I'm doing now, what if I said to my 7 year old, how would you see my life now?
Speaker A:What would you do now?
Speaker A:With the ignorance and the naivety and the lack of indoctrination, the lack of the years of ingrown teachings and all that, how would you see my life now?
Speaker A:And I thought a 7 year old should in some way see the world through brand new eyes, see the world as if it's the first time they've seen it, that the world, everything is possible.
Speaker A:They should have this heart that is like, if I want to do that, I can do that.
Speaker A:You know, they don't know the art of what's impossible at that point.
Speaker A:And we spend time as adults trying to convince ourselves of what is possible.
Speaker A:And we're trying to break down those walls and barriers that have been put up by so many people's opinions, beliefs of ourselves, self believes, what self beliefs, self beliefs and all the other things that people tell us we can and cannot do.
Speaker A:So we're living our lives from the basis of, you know, a predetermined way in which everybody else has basically taught us what we feel we should see, how we should see the world, how we show up in the world, what we can and cannot do.
Speaker A:What would that seven year old do?
Speaker A:Go, yeah, that's not true, I don't believe them.
Speaker A:The truth is the 7 year old doesn't know yet.
Speaker A:So the 7 year old doesn't know about all these barriers yet because they haven't come across them, they haven't been told them, they haven't tried them.
Speaker A:So if only we could go back to that seven year old and through all the innocent eyes and the innocent heart and the courage and determination of that child, what would they do with their life now with all these opportunities, all these things?
Speaker A:What books would the seven year old listen to if he could listen to them?
Speaker A:He didn't know he could.
Speaker A:And what would my life be like today if I approached today within the same realms of.
Speaker A:I'm not saying you've got to be a naughty 7 year old and walk on the grass and all those things.
Speaker A:You've got to live within the adult's rules but not the rules that have opinions and beliefs.
Speaker A:Live within the.
Speaker A:Not living within the limitations of what people have put on us.
Speaker A:So that seven year old might look up and go, I want to go and try that.
Speaker A:And our brains goes oh no, someone's tried that, don't do that or no, let the seven year old try that.
Speaker A:Live your life from that position.
Speaker A:So I was there and I had this tear in my eye in the cinema.
Speaker A:It's like oh wow, let that seven year old loose.
Speaker A:So I want you to think about your childhood.
Speaker A:At what age were you still courageous and vulnerable enough and naive enough to, to believe that you can literally do anything you want in life before people told you you couldn't be an astronaut, you couldn't be all these other things.
Speaker A:I remember going to careers at school and they said what do you want to be when you're older?
Speaker A:I remember saying I wanted to be an astronaut and I was at a secondary school, I was about 12 years old and they said no, you're not going to be an astronaut Stephen, what are you good at?
Speaker A:I don't know, technical drawing.
Speaker A:How about an architect?
Speaker A:What do architects do?
Speaker A:Well, they build houses.
Speaker A:They design houses?
Speaker A:Oh yeah, I could do that.
Speaker A:And then I spent the next 10 years wanted to be an architect because that was what the careers teachers thought that I could do.
Speaker A:I remember asking how much money they make.
Speaker A:Oh, they make a lot of money.
Speaker A:Okay, I'll be an architect.
Speaker A:And I wouldn't mind being an architect.
Speaker A:I think they're pretty cool.
Speaker A:I think what they create and all.
Speaker A:And in the world of AI and oh, now you can create some awesome stuff.
Speaker A:But that wasn't me.
Speaker A:I'm not saying I can Suddenly allow that 7 year old to be an astronaut, but just approach that essay or the daily living or whatever you're going to approach next week from the innocent eyes and enthusiasm and courage of that younger self when before it was all predetermined by others that you cannot do it.
Speaker A:And it gave me this wonderful just opening and I wonder how it makes you feel.
Speaker A:Let me know whatever platform you are on, let me know in the review or in the comments or if you'd like to email me, go to stephenweb.uk and there's a link there to my own blog.
Speaker A:There's a link there to buy a coffee, the link there to my other podcast.
Speaker A:But there's also a link there to message me.
Speaker A:And it'll be an email and it'll come directly to me.
Speaker A:And it'd be interesting to know then I know some people haven't had the most desirable childhood.
Speaker A:My childhood wasn't that brilliant.
Speaker A:Not just my parents divorce.
Speaker A:And I will say it's not my fault.
Speaker A:I don't think it's my fault anyway.
Speaker A:It might have been, who knows.
Speaker A:But you know, that whole just looking at the world from those eyes on a daily basis gives us a perspective that we don't have as an adult.
Speaker A:And I think that perspective is really important.
Speaker A:I'm not saying come from that only voice.
Speaker A:That only voice will probably get you in trouble, you know, painting on the walls and things like that, doing the naughty things that children shouldn't really do.
Speaker A:But you can add that voice to the mix.
Speaker A:That younger self was awesome before it was told it wasn't.
Speaker A:And I think we should embrace it a whole lot more.
Speaker A:So that's my podcast today.
Speaker A:A little bit shorter than usual.
Speaker A:I think it's an important message and yeah, what would you do if you could go back to that most courageous version of yourself before the bloody adults ruined it?
Speaker A:Oh, adults, adulthood.
Speaker A:Who wants to do all that stuff?
Speaker A:It's a voice that I think you need to hear and it's a voice that I need to listen to more often instead of.
Speaker A:You can't do that.
Speaker A:Why not?
Speaker A:Go for it.
Speaker A:Just don't go crazy.
Speaker A:Too crazy, you know.
Speaker A:I want to say thank you deeply.
Speaker A:Thank you to supporters, donators.
Speaker A:You keep this.
Speaker A:I say this every single week.
Speaker A:I don't care.
Speaker A:It's really important to say it again and again.
Speaker A:Without the people that donate, this podcast would not exist.
Speaker A:And I go for a lot of changes in my life at the moment with my operation in December now really making a difference on my life.
Speaker A:So much better.
Speaker A:I've been diagnosed a little bit now and it's helping me out in understanding how my mind works and it's awesome and I'm so excited.
Speaker A:And it's spring here, the sun is out albeit I think we got April in March which is a bit too early.
Speaker A:It's freaking me out a bit but I'm not going to sit back and not enjoy it because it's there anyway.
Speaker A:You know all the complaining about the weather is not going to change it so I'm going to leave you with this one.
Speaker A:Quote by Shunro Suzuki in the beginner's mind there is many many possibilities.
Speaker A:In the expert's mind there are few.
Speaker A:So if I come at it from my age there's few possibilities I can do.
Speaker A:If I come at it from my 7 year old how many more possibilities is there right now?
Speaker A:And boom just like that.
Speaker A:I love you.
Speaker A:Take care and please head over to StevenWeb UK.
Speaker A:You want to contact me or support the show?
Speaker A:Bye.
