Are you desperately wanting to move forward? Maybe you're rebuilding your life after a major loss, navigating a sudden career change, or just trying to find your joy again, but it feels like an invisible wall keeps popping up. You take a couple of steps forward, but bam, there's another obstacle in your way and you're back to feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or just defeated?
We've all been in that spot at some point in our lives. Change, whether we initialize it or it just happens, is never easy. Logically, we know that we should let go of the anger, or stop worrying about the future, or just start that new thing. But then some deeper, automatic part of you pushes back, locking you into a cycle of self-doubt and inaction.
Battling yourself is one of the most common and most difficult conflicts you'll ever have. These battles often lead to frustration, and you might find yourself snapping at a loved one. Or you might dismiss a great opportunity because you hear that internal voice asking, "What am I thinking? I can't do this." It’s exhausting. And if you’re wondering if you’re the only one who can’t seem to get your act together? You are definitely not alone.
Let me be very clear: You are not lazy, weak, or flawed. This is a very real, very common struggle, and it is not a reflection of your character. You are simply running an outdated system built on deeply wired thought patterns and beliefs. This old system is trying to keep you safe, even if "safe" means stuck. That feeling isn't a moral failure; it's a mental block. Your Inner Compass is giving you faulty directions. It needs to be recalibrated.
The hopeful truth is this: your mind isn't just wired for safety, it's also wired for change. You just have to know how to trigger it and direct the process. We're going to pull back the curtain on five specific, hidden mental blocks and the brain science behind why you can change them. After reading this post, you will feel empowered and hopeful because you will have the knowledge you need to take your first clear step toward owning your power and directing your mind.
Before we start mapping out each of those pesky mental roadblocks, I want to make sure we're all on the same page. I never assume that anyone coming to my blog knows me or knows any details about what I'm talking about. This is not because I question your intelligence, but because I never want anyone to feel as if they're being left out of a conversation. So, I try very hard to make sure I'm making all the concepts simple to understand and delivering them in easy-to-digest ways.
In an effort to do that, before we discuss those five specific mental roadblocks, I'd like to talk to you about how changing the mind is possible at all. It starts with your Mindset.
Your mindset is simply the lens, perspective, or experience through which you are viewing your current situation. When you're in a major life transition, your internal struggle is often the resulting tug-of-war between two viewpoints:
- A Fixed Mindset believes that things like your resilience, skill, or ability to adapt are unchangeable. It's the voice that says, "This is just how I am," and makes you fear the effort change takes because it sees change as proof of your inherent flaws.
- A Growth Mindset is the empowering belief that your abilities can be developed through dedication, learning, and effort. It is the mindset of hope because it sees every challenge, big or small, as an opportunity for growth and mastery.
Why does this matter so much? Because when you truly understand that you are in charge of your mind, you will have true autonomy in your own life. Yes, your brain controls your bodily functions, but you are absolutely able to tell your brain how to operate optimally. It's been proven by science: Your brain is resistant, but not even your brain is fixed. This is where neuroplasticity comes in.
Neuroplasticity is the remarkable ability of the brain to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Your brain is constantly changing based on what you think, feel, and do in your life.
Your feeling of being stuck is nothing more than a mental rut, a deep and well-worn path that your brain is resistant to stop using. It's biologically hardwired to stay on the tried and true path because it sees it as the safe option. It's what it knows.
But here's the power you have: you are the navigator here. Every time you consciously choose a new thought or action, you are recalibrating your Inner Compass to a new, better direction. We can use this scientific truth to address the blocks that were created by following that old, default path.
When you're ready, let's talk about the specifics of how to, not only recognize, but redirect each one.
1. Disarming Button Pushing: Taking Back Emotional Control
The mental block of button pushing is often the most visible symptom of a deeper issue, which means it's the one that will be easiest for us to identify. Button pushing is simply when someone else's action triggers you emotionally, which sends you from zero to one hundred in a nanosecond.
How they show up: When your button has been pushed you feel an immediate and intense emotional response that is often quite a lot more than how others responded. Statements and questions you might hear are, "Why does that person always make me so angry?", "I don't know why, but I...", or "I can't explain it, but I just can't handle..."
Why they block you: The honest answer is that the other person didn't install the button; you did. Your button is an emotional hot zone inside you that is activated by external stimuli. (Hint: It's usually where a Gremlin or a Limiting Belief is hiding. So keep reading.) When your button is pushed, your brain’s defense system hijacks your rational mind. This prevents you from responding thoughtfully and keeps you in an emotionally reactive state, which leaves you feeling out of control and unable to set healthy boundaries.
Applying the Growth Mindset: Your best choice here is to commit to the Pause and Reflect. When you feel the emotional surge, immediately stop and breathe deeply. This creates a conscious gap between what's triggering you and your reaction. A Growth Mindset doesn't focus on changing the button pusher, but on regulating your reaction and understanding why that specific action ignited your internal button.
Some questions you can ask yourself are: "What inner belief or old wound is this person's behavior touching?", "Why do I feel so [fill in feeling] about that kind of behavior?", "How exactly does their behavior impact my life to warrant such a strong reaction?" Identifying the root of the button is the only way to disarm it, allowing you to move from being a reactive victim of your emotions to a grounded, self-controlled agent of your own life. This is how you reclaim your navigational power.
"A trigger simply shows you where you still need healing.
Use your reaction as your compass pointing toward your greatest likelihood of transformation."
- Casey
2. Clearing Assumption Blocks: Trading Fear for Facts
Now that we've addressed that common reaction, let's look at where your mind takes shortcuts based on fear, leading to Assumption Blocks. These are the automatic leaps in logic that happen before you have any facts. This block is defined by two key actions: jumping to a conclusion about a present event, which usually happens because you're assuming that because something happened in the past, it will happen again.
How they show up: An Assumption Block is when you automatically take a leap and believe something is true without factual proof. You are fortune-telling or jumping to conclusions. For example, a friend doesn't immediately text back, and you jump to, "They must be angry with me." Or, after experiencing a failure in a previous job search, you assume, "This new interview will fail just like the last one did."
Please understand that this assuming because of a past event can be based on an exact duplication of the event or a similar situation. Using the two examples above, the exact duplication is saying that one job interview will fail just like the last one did. The similar situation could be the friend not texting back. Maybe in the past you experienced someone, a friend or otherwise, who would give you the silent treatment when you upset them, even if it wasn't a text message. If you are dealing with assumption mental blocks, you are likely to believe your current friend is doing something similar by not texting.
Why they block you: Your mind uses assumptions as an energy-saving shortcut, but they're almost always based on fear or an underlying limiting belief. They fill in the blanks with worst-case scenarios, creating paralyzing anxiety and unnecessary conflict in your relationships. When you're already struggling with uncertainty, assumptions amplify your fear of the unknown. They stop you cold by presenting worst-case scenarios as guaranteed futures, trapping you on an old, familiar path.
Applying the Growth Mindset: Embrace the power of not knowing. A Growth Mindset doesn't require certainty to act. When you catch an assumption, pause and re-engage your rational mind by asking, "What concrete evidence do I have to support this conclusion?" The action is to replace the assumption with a question or a neutral statement. A Growth Mindset response says, "I will assume nothing and instead, I will go find out the facts," or "Until I know otherwise, the world is neutral." This moves you from the passive anxiety of worry to the active clarity of fact-finding, helping your Inner Compass find a clearer path forward.
"Worry is a story you tell yourself about a future you cannot predict. Fact-checking is how you rewrite the ending."
— Casey
3. Releasing Interpretation Blocks: Choosing Your Story
Moving deeper into the mind's errors, we address your Interpretation Blocks, which deal with the subjective meaning you assign to events, regardless of the facts. Something is subjective when it exists only in your personal perception or opinion, rather than it being a universal and undisputed truth. It's the unique lens you put on the world.
How they show up: Interpretation Blocks are the opinions or judgments you create about an event and then believe it to be the only truth. For instance:
- A colleague gives constructive feedback, and you interpret it as, "They think I'm incompetent."
- You receive a short, blunt email from your boss, and you interpret it as, "I'm about to get fired."
- A friend cancels plans last minute, and you interpret it as, "They don't really value my time."
Please Note: As we move deeper into these mental blocks, they will become more difficult for us to have awareness and acknowledge ourselves in them, making it more likely for us to resist accepting that we do them.
Why they block you: Here's the core issue: in these moments, your reality is not what is happening; it’s the story you're telling yourself about what's happening. This mental block can be a little tricky because it's very similar to the Assumption Block. The distinction is small: an interpretation isn't about jumping to a conclusion, and it's not necessarily based on a direct previous experience. It is simply a context or a story that you are attaching to a neutral event.
If you habitually resort to a Negative Interpretation Bias, you will see what could be an ambiguous situation (a silent text, a difficult conversation) through a lens of threat, criticism, or rejection. This block is the source of much of the bitterness and resentment that keeps people stuck, preventing them from seeing the hopeful possibilities in the present.
Applying the Growth Mindset: Practice choosing the most empowering story. When faced with an event that you naturally want to interpret negatively, stop and deliberately generate three other possible interpretations, including the most benign one. A Growth Mindset asks, "What is the most generous, most neutral, or most likely story I can tell myself about that person or situation right now?"
By consciously choosing other interpretations that support your peace, you are actively exercising your power to reduce the mental energy you spend dwelling on negativity, giving your Inner Compass a positive new direction. But be warned: this is not about toxic positivity or blind positivity. This is about showing your mind that there are other possible interpretations and allowing your mind to learn a path other than negative interpretation bias.
"The event is neutral; the meaning you assign to it is within your power. Choose a story that serves your growth."
— Casey
4. Disarming Limiting Beliefs: Rewriting the Core Script
If your inner world, your mind, is full of reasons why you can't do something, then you're being blocked by Limiting Beliefs. They are literally beliefs, or ideas, you have that limit you or hold you back from your potential.
How they show up: These are your deepest convictions, which you hold as being facts and your mind treats as absolute truths. They could sound like "I'm too old to start a new career," "I don't deserve success," or "I'll never find happiness again." Right now, these limitations are the outdated maps your Inner Compass is relying on.
Why they block you: Limiting Beliefs were likely formed in the past to protect you from an experience that resulted in pain or rejection. They act as a hidden script and they unconsciously filter out any evidence that contradicts them. If you truly believe "I'm not good at science," your mind will automatically disregard evidence that you are. It's not a malicious act. It's merely that your brain tries to keep you safe, so it tries to reinforce experiences that don't cause you discomfort. Unfortunately, limiting beliefs keep you small and predictable, making it impossible to confidently step into the identity required for your next chapter.
Applying the Growth Mindset: All you have to do is simply acknowledge the belief, and then challenge the evidence. Ask yourself: "Is this absolutely true, or is this just an old thought trying to keep me safe?" For example, maybe you're not good at traditional sciences (dissecting frogs & periodic tables), but you are good at nutrition, neuroscience, or psychology.
A Growth Mindset replaces the finality of "I can't" with the curiosity of "I haven't figured out how yet, but I can learn." This tiny verbal shift signals to your brain that change is possible, helping to redirect your Inner Compass away from the old, safe path.
"Your limiting beliefs are not facts; they are just deeply ingrained habits of thought. And habits can be changed."
– Casey
5. Taming the Gremlin: Separating Self-Talk from Self-Worth
We finish with the powerful Gremlin, most commonly known as the Inner Critic. This block is often the hardest to manage because it's the constant, nagging voice that tells you all the reasons you’re going to fail.
How they show up: Your Gremlin specializes in making you feel less-than. Its favorite phrases often include the word "enough": You're not good enough, smart enough, experienced enough, or young enough. Ultimately it is the voice of self-sabotage and shame.
Why they block you: The Gremlin’s intention is survival. It thinks if it prevents you from trying, you won't be as hurt by failure. It's a draining, counterproductive survival strategy that keeps you from taking the necessary risks. It forces you to freeze up when you need courage the most, particularly when grieving a lost identity or facing a scary new path. You deserve better than this inner bully.
Applying the Growth Mindset: Recognize that your Gremlin is an automatic, negative thought pattern, not a statement of your worth. Don't argue with it; just name it ("Oh, there's my Gremlin, 'The Constant Critic,' 'Picky Petunia', or 'Nitpicky Nick'.) and pivot. The key here is differentiation. A Growth Mindset allows you to treat the criticism as feedback, saying, "I hear you, but I choose to take the action anyway. Failure is just a lesson." This consistent refusal to take the criticism personally is what starves the Gremlin and frees up your inner energy for growth, letting your Inner Compass lead you down a more resilient path.
"Your inner critic’s volume is not proof of its accuracy. Choose curiosity over cruelty."
- Casey
You've made it through the map! You now have a clear, actionable understanding of your mind's operating system. Your feeling that you're stuck is simply the result of five specific, manageable thought patterns—but thanks to Neuroplasticity, every single one of them can be rewritten and recalibrated. This means you don't have to be limited by your beliefs or remain a victim of your Inner Compass's old, faulty directions anymore.
Your newfound awareness is more than just information; it is the power to finally stop the cycle of self-doubt and reclaim your sovereignty in your life. By applying these Growth Mindset tools, you are moving away from the foggy, rudderless feeling and toward grounded, authentic resilience, fulfilling the promise of a future you truly desire.
If you're interested in a deeper dive into these powerful concepts and want practical, personalized guidance on how to master your mindset blocks and accelerate your change,
put your email on my course's interest list and guarantee you'll be notified when this deep-dive coaching course is available to help you take full control of your inner compass.
Until next time, take care of you and yours,
Casey
*The information provided on this website, including blog posts, articles, and other content, is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. The information shared here also is not a substitute for individual coaching sessions or a client-coach relationship. Always consult with a qualified professional for any specific concerns or before making any decisions. No guarantees are made regarding any specific outcomes or results from using the information provided on this website.
Your inner voice is your most powerful operating system.
