4 Brain Science Based Steps To Breakthrough A Mental Block In Your Business (and gain mind mastery forever)

I think Entrepreneur Magazine is a pretty great publication. I love the content and the focus on the entrepreneurial experience and new trends in business ownership.

My attention, therefore, was piqued when I saw this headline "7 Mental Blocks Preventing Your Success," and I dove right in to reading the piece.

The article was a typical list/solution format: Here's the mental block, then a quick tip to fix it.

To be honest, it was a load of c**p. However, this is not very unusual when bloggers write about mindset.

They write this way because readers have a miniscule attention span, want a quick fix, and so writers give it to them exactly as they want it.

The problem: This is not the way the brain works, so this tip sheet is like putting a Bandaid on a bullet wound.

Ridiculous.

Example: The first tip was about how to overcome the mental block of procrastination. Well that's the first error. Procrastination is not the mental block. It is a symptom of a mental block. Procrastination is a nice long word for FEAR. Thus, the solution the author gave was to stop procrastinating, and make a quick decision and take action.

If overcoming procrastination was as simple as making a quick decision, there wouldn't be such a thing as procrastination. There was zero discussion as to HOW a person would actually put this recommendation into effect.

Mental blocks, or Success Blocks as I like to refer to them, are rooted deeply in our subconscious minds. Our subconscious minds were formed when we were very young, and are primarily designed for survival, not expansion. They keep us stuck for what they perceive as "safety."

Entrepreneurs are wired to solve problems primarily at the conscious mind level - strategy, tactics, action-taking. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs who are experience self-doubt, sudden fear of failure, indecisiveness, even the fear of success, have undeveloped skill in accessing the recesses of their subconscious minds.

Ninety-five percent of our thinking is happening at the subconscious level, only 5 % at the conscious level.

To break through a block, there are four steps that must take place:

Step 1. Awareness of thoughts. For example, noticing that you're becoming really disorganized or being late all the time is a big "warning" sign that something subconscious is up. Usually we have a whole bunch of thoughts around circumstances or situations we are not happy about. Now's the time to track those thoughts and get clarity of what the thoughts beneath the symptoms really are.

It takes getting really quiet and listening more deeply. Often this can be done via meditation although that's not the only way.

Step 2. Interrupt/Disrupt. A limiting thought or belief must be stopped dead in its tracks. Once you recognize that something is bubbling below the surface, you can make a conscious decision to just take a pause on that thought. You ask your mind, "Is my belief true?" 99% of the time, it's just a conclusion you made up to explain your behavior. It's behavior, not a fundamental truth. Stop the presses and breathe.

Step 3: Delete and Replace. The neuroscience about thoughts and beliefs is fascinating. If you have a thought (basically neurons connecting and wiring together) they will continue to fire exactly the same way, actually hard-wiring that thought sequence (a belief) into place. The solution, therefore, must be to dismantle the hardware. Stop the wiring of those neurons together by replacing them with new neuron connections (new thoughts and beliefs). Now the old connection becomes dismantled by disuse and the new connection becomes hardwired.

Let's say the thought is: I'm so disorganized. I'm overwhelmed.

You become aware that these are thoughts not actual truths. Maybe you are being confronted and uncomfortable with new advances you are making in your business. Your conscious mind says, "YES! Bring it on." Your subconscious mind says, "Whoa, not so fast, things could get dicey and difficult out there. You really shouldn't take chances. I will give you a bunch of fears and distractions so you won't venture too far forward too fast."

What should you do practically to begin the Delete & Replace solution?

You start to take notice of the things you are organized and effective at. You replace that old thought pattern with a new pattern. The new pattern now will be seeking evidence. The brain mechanism that causes this is called the Reticular Activing System (RAS). It is the evidence seeking/confirmation system in the brain.

Let's say you focused on a project you got out on time or you brought back to mind a time when you were highly organized. The subconscious mind does not know time states - past, or future. To the subconscious mind, everything is the present. So now you are creating a new neuron-connection and every time you focus on the times you were organized you are hard-wiring your new belief into your subconscious mind: "I am organized and I have proof."

Understand, this is NOT positive thinking. Positive thinking does not work - not for any real length of time anyway. This is creating your thinking so that your subconscious mind has new beliefs to work from.

Step 4. Reinforce. Like anything else related to the mind, "use it or lose it." Your subconscious mind, the most powerful and most under-trained part of your mind, has had years and years to make it's beliefs (designed to keep you "safe" and in survival mode, not thrival mode) locked firmly in place. Once you become Aware, Interrupt, and Delete/Replace, you must Reinforce the new neuron connection. You must implement daily practices to teach your subconscious mind who is boss, what to think in you adult life, allowing you to break free of this pesky, self-destructive, depleting, nerve-wracking mental Success Block.

Want a breakthrough from any mental Success Block? Follow this formula for lasting power of your mind and thoughts.

**************************************************************************

Nancy Fox, founder of The Business Fox Academy, guides high performing entrepreneurs and professionals in having business breakthroughs through brain science. She is an international trainer, national speaker, and author and can be reached at www.thebusinessfox.com, [email protected]