May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer,
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my heart on fear no more.
This is the beautiful and inviting final verse of John O’Donohue‘s blessing A Morning Offering.
So it’s worth thinking about what’s stopping us…
Not the myriad of tactical stuff – money, kids, home, education… – but the deeper blocks.
The three basic centres of intelligence can be a useful mirror – because each of us has a prime driver:
- Body – instincts, aroused through senses and drives movement
- Heart – feelings, triggered by emotion, drive connection
- Head – intellect, fed by thinking drives analysis
For those with a body centre, inertia can be their block, often expressed through frustration and anger
Whilst heart types can get lost in their emotion, and that of others perhaps expressed through fear and shame.
And head types can plunge into analysis paralysis, characterised by anxiety or distress.
As a head type, I can sometimes tell in the moment – and more often with hindsight – when I’m tripping into “I just need to find out more… or someone else who knows…“
What about you? What most often holds you back?