BLOCKS.
The next few posts are going to be from a series I did for a previous company called In Light & Mind on the impact of blocks that limit us from reaching our potential. These posts are beneficial to helping us move closer to the person we know ourselves to be and free ourselves of limiting beliefs that threaten our growth.
When I hear the word block I immediately picture those little wooden blocks with the letters and numbers on them that children stack and then knock over with joyful glee. By picturing the blocks and obstacles (whether real or perceived) in my life as these little wooden structures stacked one on top of each other, I realized that it made them seem less daunting and fearful. But it was taking the responsibility and seeing the blocks and obstacles that was the hard part.
From the time we are born we are constantly taking in messages and information from the world around us, particularly from the humans we are in contact with at a young age. Whether spoken or not, the messages we receive form as beliefs in our subconscious and essentially create the motivation for our behaviors and actions. While this is an incredibly simplistic explanation of what happens, it is important to realize that pretty much everything we know is not what WE know - it’s what others have taught us or we have learned. Like one big ass long game of Ancesteral Telephone, It is just information that has been passed down, either through evolution or by actual teaching that forms what, why and how we think.
Because of this, it’s important to “check in” and see what beliefs, ideas, thoughts, learnings, etc. are getting in your way and why - I mean Heck! You may not be the one who planted the idea in your brain that you should be afraid of new things!
But you are the one continuing to believe it.
For the purpose of this series, I am going to cover 2 blocks that a lot of people struggle with - Money & Health, but before I do that, I do need to differentiate between REAL blocks/obstacles and PERCEIVED blocks/obstacles.
REAL BLOCKS are the things that provide obstacles no matter how much you love yourself, how much self growth you do, how much individual insight you gain, those obstacles will still be present. REAL BLOCKS usually happen in REAL TIME. Standardly, these real blocks happen at the hands of an oppressor - so people living in marginalized bodies tend to experience more REAL BLOCKS which can be incredibly frustrating. Even if you aren’t in a marginalized body, you may find yourself up against certain things that prevent you from getting your dream job, having your expectations met, etc. It’s also important to note that while REAL BLOCKS can make life incredibly frustrating, there are usually still options to get around, give in, or adapt to them - it just usually involves more than just you.
For example: If I go to my doctor to treat a cold and she looks at me and says “You need to lose weight before I can diagnosis you” that is a REAL BLOCK to me receiving proper medical care from that particular person. In that moment, I am blocked from my expectation of receiving care and improving my health - BUT I still have options: I can advocate harder for myself, write to the medical review board, or find another doctor altogether. So, while there are options, the other person presented a REAL BLOCK in the moment.
PERCEIVED BLOCKS on the other hand are blocks that individuals place on themselves utilizing past experiences, things they’ve learned, stories they’ve heard, and frequent ideations about future events. Perceived blocks NEVER happen in real time. These blocks are usually the What if?-Fear based - thoughts that prevent us from living the life that we want. Many of these perceived blocks also work like an iceberg - we tell ourselves the story at the tip, but the real reason is buried much deeper. Or alternatively, if you think of the little building blocks, our conscious mind is dealing with the little block at the top, but there are still 3-4 blocks underneath that one.
For example: As I go to make an appointment with my doctor I think “Why am I even bothering to make this appointment? My doctor is just going to fat shame me so maybe I should lose weight before I go….” This is a prime example of a perceived block. I am assuming something that hasn’t happened yet, based on stories I’ve heard from others as well as previous experiences I have had. If I dig deeper into this block, it isn’t just the fear of not receiving appropriate medical care, but it is also the fear of experiencing shame and humiliation (2 things which our evolutionary process has told us to avoid at all costs).
Hopefully this provides a bit of clarity as to the difference between the two and now that we have this clarification it’s time to get the wheel spinning for yourself. Before we move on to SPECIFIC blocks, I want you to consider where in your life you experience real and perceived blocks. Here are some questions to get you pondering:
Where in the last week have I experienced a REAL block?
Where in the last week have I experienced a PERCEIVED block?
What was the context surrounding the REAL block?
What area(s) of your life do you think you experience PERCEIVED blocks the most?
What or Whom did you learn your PERCEIVED blocks from?
