Quickly identify and release your blocks with mind mapping

Read Time:  2 minutes 

Self-sabotage and its good friends doubt, fear and anxiety used to rule my life. It was often hidden behind perfectionism.

Sometimes this was great - it meant I tended to overachieve.  Most of the time it sucked. 

Then I started to peel away the layers and lean into my authentic self. It didn't happen over night and I didn't do it on my own. 

I'm going to share with you 1 tool you can use TODAY.

It' perfect for when:

• You need to make a decision
• You are feeling stuck 
• Imposter syndrome hits you hard  
• There's something you want to do, but never start

1. Identify a personal or professional goal

What is a personal or professional aspiration? 

What are you having anxiety about?

I want you to take a piece of paper... or for my techie folks pop into your favorite collaboration tool...

Draw a circle.

Put your dream / decision / anxiety in the center. 

 2. Close your eyes and scan your internal system 

Settle into a comfortable position and take a few deep breathes.

• Focus your attention inside and notice.
• What shows up for you?
• You may notice physical sensations or impulses?
• You may notice blankness.
• You may notice related or unrelated thoughts.
• You may notice 1 feeling or many feelings.
• You may notice it hard to focus - that your mind starts to drift away.

This is all OK.

Lead with curiosity and judgment.

Jot down whatever you notice.

We are creating a map of your mind.    

3. Name the part 

Through awareness, we can identify what belief is holding us back. 

Our minds are complex. 

It is made up of many parts.

• Is this part holding residual pain or anxiety from a previously bad experience?
• Is this part protecting us by distraction to avoid further pain when we perceive a threat?
• Is this part minimizing risk through prevention or avoidance?
• All parts are good because they serve a purpose, even if it doesn't feel that way. 

Spend a few moments with the mind map you created:

• What does it want you to know?
• What is it holding for you? What is it's role or purpose?

4. Gratitude and release

Reflect upon what you notice. 

Send each part of you gratitude for showing up, even if what you noticed was uncomfortable.

See how the part responds to your appreciation. 

• Has your perspective or energy shifted?
• Do you feel any different after spending a few minutes focused internally?
• Are you calmer or more agitated? 

I hope this quick tool helps bring clarity to whatever may be holding you back. 

This is a tool I learned from a course on "Coaching for Self-Leadership" by the IFS Institute. It was built on the Internal Family Systems Model developed by Richard Schwartz.  

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See you again next week.

Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways that I can help you:

1. Personally curate a custom foundational resume for you here.

2. Set you up for success with the exact resume template I use.

3. Give you actionable feedback to perfect your resume with an audit.

Cheers,

Aylin