Release Your Inner Block

Sometimes, the choices we make, or don’t make, limit our potential. Other times, we don’t even see all the choices that we have. Both of these situations are due to four deep and powerful energy blocks that hold us back from our potential. 

(You might want to check out Create/Refine Your Core Value Master List and Your Personal Mission if you are unsure about what the “big picture” or north star you have for your life before you continue this inner journey to release your inner blocks)

There are external blocks and inner blocks:

Inner blocks are those produced within you. They disrupt and distract you from your success.

External blocks are the ones produced outside of us. 

Examples of external blocks: 

• Lack of capital to get a job done
• Skills/Educations
• Legal and regulatory requirements
• Inability to affect change over others’ actions, words, and behaviors (toxic environment & relationships) 

What are some strategies to release those external blocks? 

• Acceptance
• Change situation(for example: if you are in a toxic work environment, you can choose to change team or job)
• Change perspective
• Avoid (for example: if you are allergic to seafood, you can try to avoid seafood)

By looking at the inner blocks carefully and objectively, we can release the hold they have on us, along with the catabolic energy attracted to them, and become more successful. 

There are 4 major inner blocks that stop us from reaching our full potential:

• limiting belief
• assumption
• interpretation
• gremlins ( we all have those “I’m not good enough” story)

Limiting Belief

Limiting beliefs are beliefs you have about the world, about other people, about situations, and about life in general that hold you back from success and stop you from getting what you want. If you do not believe something is possible, you are not likely to attempt it. Even if you do attempt it, you won’t devote much energy to achieving that goal. 

Good new is that once you overcome limiting beliefs, they can no longer hold you back. And shattering your limiting beliefs may light the way for others to do the same.

Before you continue, please take 5-10 minutes to make a list of things that you try to achieve.

Look at the vision and those goals that you listed, 1) List some of the beliefs that you have starting with “I believe…”; 2) put a “check” mark next to the ones that produce anabolic energy and help you move towards your goal, put a “x” next to the ones may be limiting you in any way

Examples of limiting beliefs:

• People are never happy in the corporate world
• I can’t be myself if I want to get into the leadership role
• Motherhood and employment don’t mix
• Showing emotion is a sign of weakness
• I have to work hard to make a lot money to be happy

Questions for you as you to contemplate as you continue your inner journey:

• How would your work and life be different if that belief is gone magically? 
• What’s the origin story of that belief if you think really hard and be honest with yourself? 
• How would you like to replace that? Write it down!

Self coaching tool:

• Ask“How true is that belief, really?” 

• Ask“Where and when did I get that idea?”

• Ask “How has this belief affected me?”  

• What new belief can you come up with that can replace that belief?

Essentially you are looking for proof of its truth or lack of proof. You are Exploring the effect the belief has had on your life. Think, “What is the cost of the belief to myself and others” If some of your existing beliefs are not working for you anymore, what new belief can you come up with that can replace that belief? Practice visualizing the new potential belief- How does it feel?

Assumptions

An assumption is believing that because something happened in the past, it is going to happen again. Assumptions are more personal than limiting beliefs and more intimately involved you and those around you. Therefore there’s more energy associated with an assumption than limiting belief.  

Assumptions hold you back because, from past experience, when you believe you already “know” something won’t work for you, you’ve failed before you’ve tried. Even if you do try, you might move in a counterproductive direction. When you hold on tight to your assumptions, you miss out on a whole world of possibilities. 

Examples of assumptions:

• My people/I will never communicate effectively
• I couldn’t find good help last time, so I can never find good help
• I failed at my last job, I will fail again at this new job
• I got bad projects last time, I will never get good projects on this team

Questions for you to contemplate as you continue your inner journey:

Look at a past situation in which you were able to achieve something similar, ask yourself:

1. What worked well then? 
2. What strengths did you have when you did this?
3. How can you take those strengths and apply them in the new situation?

Self coaching tool:

Challenging assumptions can be more involved than challenging limiting beliefs. This is because limiting beliefs are usually created from what we’ve been told, while assumptions are primarily based on personal experience, so there’s more emotion and energy involved with them and they are harder to let go of. 

The main question to ask is….

“Just because that happened in the past, why must it happen again?”

Or

“How am I or the general situations different today compared to last time?”

Interpretation

An interpretation is the opinion you create about an event, situation, or experience. 

In essence, you make up a story, unconsciously look for evidence to support it, and believe that your story is true when in actuality, your interpretation often represents only one viewpoint among the many that are possible.

Examples of interpretation:

• My manager shows up late to our 1:1, he/she doesn’t like me
• My team did not give me feedback, they don’t respect me
• They don’t follow orders, they are judging my ability to lead & manage
• He/she doesn’t care about the business (or family)
• My son is just plain lazy

Questions for you to contemplate as you continue your inner journey:

• What are some of the interpretations you’ve made up to explain current or recent situations in your life? 

• What energy/actions are created within you or around/within others as a result of these interpretations?

Self coaching tool:

This inner block is the most difficult one to release. We, human beings are natural storytellers. It is only natural to have resistance when we are being asked to release the storyline that we create in our head in the first place.

Just realizing that there are other ways to look at something lessens the power of your interpretation. Interpretations can be challenged by asking the following questions: 

“What’s another way to look at that?” 

Others Questions to ask yourself: 

• What would your best friend’s (or another person’s) perspective of the situation be? 
• What would someone who had the  complete opposite point of view from yours way about the situation?

Gremlins

A gremlin lies within every one of us; it’s our inner critic. You know that voice in your head? That voice that tells you not to try, never to take a risk, always to take the safe road, and to compromise your life by playing small. That’s your gremlin, and the message from your gremlin’s warning is, very simply , you’re just not good enough. 

Your gremlin tells you not to try, never to take a risk, always to take the safe road, and to compromise your life by playing small. The message from your gremlin’s warnings is that you’re just not good enough to reach the summit of success. 

The first step in facing your gremlin is to identify it. If the voice inside you is speaking to your limitations, not your greatness, then it’s your gremlin speaking. 

Examples of Gremlins:

• I’m not smart enough to really do this job right
• I’m not talented 
• I’m not important

What is your gremlin saying/whisper.

Make a list of your inner critics. You can add this as things come up. When you want to do something and you just can’t go there, examine what you’re thinking at that moment.

Also look at what you are feeling. If that “feeling” could talk what would it say?

Note that Gremlins sometimes need to be released on the somatic level especially when it’s strong. Reach out if you are interested in learning more.

Be gentle with yourself as you work on releasing your inner blocks. If you need additional support, I offer 1:1 coaching. You can apply for a discovery call here if interested.