The Only Mental Block to Clear🎂🍒🥇

Published: Fri, 07/12/24

Updated: Fri, 07/12/24

Don't let anxiety and mental blocks control you. Set Yourself Free and Confront the Fear. Turn the mental blocks into building blocks.

Dr Roopleen

How long do you spend enjoying the achievement of reaching your goal? If you think about it, the event of your achievement is fleeting. Chances are you may have worked extremely hard over a long period. And then, after blood, sweat, and tears, your goal comes into being. You’re excited initially, but after a while, it becomes another milestone, and you begin looking for new goals.
That was me.

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Like most of us, when I began this personal development journey, my goals and outcomes were all that mattered.
That outlook was challenging.
As a young man with big goals, I needed to dish out a dose of tough love, especially when my goals weren’t materialising. My soul was battered and bruised when I was introduced to the works of the great Jim Rohn. If I learned anything from his teachings, it’s this:

🌠 Enter the Character Creation Challenge! 🌠

Every unforgettable story starts with compelling characters. This month, we’re inviting you to breathe life into a new character fit for a speculative fiction universe. Whether your creation belongs in the corridors of a spacecraft, the depths of an enchanted forest, or the bustling streets of a dystopian city, we want to see what you can imagine!

Challenge Details: Create a character based on the theme of "Survival in a Strange World". Your character should possess traits that make survival possible in unusual or harsh environments. Think about abilities, skills, personality traits, and physical characteristics that would help your character thrive.

How to Participate:Character Description: Submit a detailed description of your character (300 words max). Include their name, age, appearance, abilities, background, and how they cope with the challenges of their world.
Character Art (optional): If you’re artistically inclined, feel free to include an original drawing or digital artwork of your character.

Judging Criteria:

Originality: How unique is your character?
Relevance to Theme: How well does your character fit the survival theme?
Detail: How vividly and thoroughly have you described your character?
Creativity in Abilities: How interesting and fitting are the character’s abilities?

Prizes:

🥇 First Place: A feature in our next newsletter, a $25 bookstore gift card, and a chance to write a guest post or interview about how you came up with a character in the Character Creation Challenge.

🥈 Second Place: Your First Line Hook featured in my newsletter and a $15 Amazon gift card.

🥉 Third Place: Your First Line Hook in one of my Facebook posts and a $10 Amazon gift card

Submission Deadline

Get ready to Create a Character that will thrill and excite readers. DM me on Instagram at @AntonMarks_Author. Be sure to get your submissions in by 31th July 2024.

Set goals not for the outcome but for who you become in the process.
That quote changed my life and saved my mental well-being. I’d be a mess if I had not dislodged that mental block. Now, I can set my goals, but knowing they’re not the be-all and end-all of my life, the process is what’s ultimately important because of who I will become.
Phew! I dodged a bullet.

Asim Marshall - Ex Africa Corps Soldier

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My breakthrough came when I shifted my focus from the goal to the process. The process of writing—the daily grind, the creativity, the revisions, and the growth—became my cake. This perspective shift was liberating. It allowed me to savour each moment of the journey, finding joy and satisfaction in the act of creation itself.
The goal had become relegated to the cherry on top.
This lesson isn’t confined to writing, either. Whether you’re aiming for a promotion, trying to get fit, or learning a new skill, embracing the process as the main event can change your entire outlook. The process is where growth happens, where skills are honed, and where true fulfilment lies.
To my mind, it’s a mentally healthy option.
The major mental block many of us face is the belief that our worth and happiness are tied to achieving specific goals. This belief can be paralysing, leading to procrastination, fear of failure, and perpetual dissatisfaction. To clear this mental block, we need to reframe our mindset:

1.    Find Joy in the Journey: Shift your focus from the destination to the journey. Celebrate the small victories and progress you make each day. This doesn’t mean abandoning your goals but appreciating the steps you take towards them.
2.    Growth Over Achievement: Understand that the process is where real growth happens. Each step you take, each challenge you overcome, is a building block of your competence and confidence.
3.    Set Process-Oriented Goals: Instead of fixating solely on outcome-based goals (like losing 20 pounds or getting a promotion), set goals that emphasise the process (like exercising for 30 minutes a day or improving a specific skill).

Gentle Reader, let’s think of your goal as the cherry on top of a beautifully baked cake. The cherry is delightful and enhances the cake, but the cake provides the substance, the flavour, and the satisfaction. When you enjoy the process, the cherry becomes a bonus rather than the sole focus.

Practical Steps to Embrace the Process
1.    Mindfulness: Practice mindfulness to stay present and engaged. Mindfulness helps you appreciate each moment and reduces the anxiety of future outcomes.
2.    Reflect Regularly: Take time to reflect on your progress. Journaling can be a powerful tool to acknowledge your growth and the ups and downs of the journey.
3.    Stay Curious: Approach each task with curiosity. Learn from every experience, and see setbacks as opportunities to gain insights and improve.
4.    There is no such thing as a perfect work-life balance. Some things are bound to take precedence over others, depending on what is happening in your life. You can only be aware and do your best to ensure the truly important things are given energy.
Ultimately, the most fulfilling and enriching experiences come not from the prize but from the journey we undertake to achieve it. We can lead more joyful, meaningful lives by clearing the mental block that ties our worth to outcomes and embracing the process as the real reward. Remember, the process is the cake—rich, layered, and deeply satisfying. The goal? It’s just the cherry on top.

Peace, love and power.

Be Your Own Hero.