Friend, whether you’re aware of this or not, we all experience different mental blocks at one point or another.

Experiencing a mental block is hugely common in the creative industry, but it doesn’t have to be an experience that keeps you stuck or holds you back from chasing your dreams.

There is one common and sneaky mental block I’ve seen my students inside the Heartfelt Brand Society wrestle with the most. And I want you to know it’s possible to not only identify this block, but also to move past this block where you’ll experience confidence and clarity.

Now, if you’re wondering how to identify that sneaky mental block that’s standing in your way and you’re ready to kick it to the curb—then keep on scrolling to dive deeper into today’s post.

How to know if you’re experiencing a mental block

First of all, before we identify this sneaky mental block we need to understand first if you’re feeling blocked. 

Like I said, you might be newly aware of mental blocks as a plague in the creative industry or you might unfortunately be familiar with mental blocks. Maybe you have one or two blocks that are “old friends” and like to visit you at the least convenient times.

But to identify if you’re having a mental block, then all you have to do is take a mental check of how you’re feeling. When diving into a project or trying to make progress in something important, is it just not flowing naturally?

You might experience mental blocks through things like mental fog, a lack of clarity, a shortage of ideas, low energy, or a low emotional desire to dive into a project.

Personally, I often experience mental blocks as kind of a sticking point when I try to move forward with something. Instead of seeing a clear way forward, often times there is a lack of clarity and I’m unable to see easily and clearly what the next steps are that I should take.

To me, that’s a mental block. And today I want to share with you the sneakiest mental block that’s potentially standing in your way and what you can do to get past it.

THE SNEAKY MENTAL BLOCK HOLDING YOU BACK

As creatives, I think one of the most common blocks we wrestle with the most is an old familiar mental block called self doubt. 

If you think about it, our work is a form of art. Even if you don’t consider yourself an “artist” the products and services you create are a form of art. When you literally bring a piece of yourself out into the world through your work, you’re bringing existence to a form of creation. And that act of creation my friend is a form of art.

And as creatives and artists the work we create and put out into the world, by nature, opens ourselves to be judged, right? It’s a vulnerable action. You’re opening yourself up to people not liking your work, to people thinking differently of you, or even to people saying unkind things about you.

That’s a risk we all face as creative entrepreneurs and as a byproduct we become extra critical and harsh with ourselves.

In an effort to protect ourselves as much as possible from what other people might say we do a lot of self editing. We keep our ideas or our dreams deep within us so they can’t be judged by anyone on the outside.

And yes, although we’re keeping ourselves from being judged, we’re also keeping ourselves from creating and experiencing fulfillment in our lives and unfortunately keeping ourselves held back.

We use self doubt as an unhealthy form of protection to keep ourselves from negative feedback or uncomfortable situations.

SELF DOUBT IS UNHEALTHY FORM OF PROTECTION

When was the last time you experienced self doubt?

Honestly all of us probably flex our self-doubt muscle almost daily.

But when was the last time you had this big, bold dream you wanted to pursue, yet you told yourself no, you shouldn’t do that because who are you to even try.

When we lean into self doubt we’re actually believing that quote, “you can’t do this.”

When we believe self doubt we believe we aren’t qualified, capable, or worthy. 

And when we believe what self doubt tells us, we stay complacent.

Self doubt keeps us living in fear. It keeps us from running for our dreams and it makes us buy into a false sense of safety and security within the status quo.

HOW SELF DOUBT MANIFESTS

Often times I’ve seen in my group coaching students and even in my mentoring students that self doubt manifests itself in a variety of ways, but the most common way it manifests itself is through imposter syndrome. 

Imposter syndrome can be a massive mental block to your creativity. 

If you’ve ever wrestled with imposter syndrome—which I’m pretty sure every single one of you reading this have at one time or another—then you know that familiar voice in the back of your head saying “who are you to do this”.

But if you believe that about yourself and we peel back the layers on imposter syndrome just a little bit more, we often find that self doubt is living just beneath the surface.

Friend, I need you to know self doubt is a sneaky mental block and a “pretty little lie” that is keeping you where you currently are.

Self doubt is not a healthy view of yourself. It’s something that’s keeping you from taking action and experiencing your most wholehearted life.

How to overcome self doubt

When wanting to make progress on a current project or wanting to continually pursue your definition of success, but imposter syndrome—aka self doubt—is holding you back, then we need to reframe the conversation you’re having with yourself.

If self doubt is telling you “you can’t do this”, then you need to remember that you CAN do this.

Self doubt might be latching onto valid concerns that are easily solvable—like if you’re buying into self doubt because you don’t know how to launch a new product or service, or you’re believing what self doubt is telling you because you need help in order to move forward—those are easily solvable problems my friend.

There is nothing wrong with looking analytically at what self doubt is pointing out to you and then accessing whether or not there’s truth in those statements. And honestly, nine out of ten times there can be some positive lessons from an experience with self doubt.

But I do believe we have to remember when facing self doubt that at the end of the day you’re capable, qualified, and worthy to chase after whatever your vision of success is in this season. 

So rather than allowing self doubt to keep you complacent, I challenge you to reframe your view of yourself when self doubt is knocking at your door and instead believe the best in yourself as opposed to believing the worst.

The sneaky mental block that’s holding you back

Digging into creative and mental blocks like self doubt or imposter syndrome and identifying practical ways to move forward with confidence and clarity is just one of the topics I love to guide my students inside the Heartfelt Brand Society through.

And friend, I’m so excited to announce that today is the day that doors to my signature six-month group coaching and mastermind program are opening again to the public. If you’re an established entrepreneur who is dreaming of elevating your brand strategy, wooing your ideal clients, and transforming you bottom line through six-action based months of group coaching, individual support and community—then the Heartfelt Brand Society is an experience just for you!

This application-based program is limited to just 10 entrepreneurs in order to create an intimate and close-knit environment where I cannot wait to pour my best knowledge and energy into each and every one of you and where you can also foster genuine relationships with each other.

And, because I’m such a big believer in the magic that can happen when we gather around the table you also have the option to join us for our in-person Heartfelt Brand Society retreat November 12-14, 2019 in beautiful Waco, TX.

THE HEARTFELT BRAND SOCIETY IS WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD!

Here is what my sweet student, Sarah Erickson, had to say about her experience inside the Heartfelt Brand Society.

“If you’re on the fence about taking this course, stop overthinking it and sign up as soon as you possibly can! This is truly the best investment you can make in your business. Bonnie’s combination of heart, wisdom, and business savvy is unmatched. She is equal parts business consultant and therapist—helping you navigate decisions in a way that supports your business and your own personal well-being.

Bonnie goes the extra mile to pour into The Heartfelt Brand Society: not only is she available to answer questions (although she does plenty of that!)… she’s constantly thinking of you and dreaming up new ideas for you to consider in your business. You might be wondering if this experience is worth the financial investment. I’m here to tell you that it is worth every penny and more! 

Working with Bonnie allowed me to raise my prices and quickly earn back my investment (and then some!) before the program was even completed. I’m still on an exciting financial trajectory, thanks to Bonnie’s insight… but The Heartfelt Brand Society is also so much more than that. 

Bonnie’s wisdom allowed me to lean on an expert in moments of uncertainty … allowing me to pour more of my best self back into my business and my personal life. 

I can’t believe that I was ever on the fence about this experience—it has been such a blessing to my business and my personal life, and I am SO thankful for the time and money I invested into this program. The Heartfelt Brand Society is worth its weight in gold!”

JOIN US!

Full details for this six-month group coaching program that kicks off in September can be found here and the application to join this exclusive program can be found here.

If you’re dreaming of making the rest of 2019 and the start to 2020 your best and brightest six months then I’d be honored to walk alongside you as we bring those dreams and goals to life!