What Your Clutter Is Trying to Tell You

by Kerri L. Richardson

Because beliefs are such an integral part of who we are, it can be tricky to identify them. A good way to start is to do an inventory of your past. Think back to what types of people surrounded you as a child. In what types of environments were you raised and taught? What was your neighborhood like? Who made up your circle of friends? What did you learn about how the world operates from their behavior, their experiences, and their words? A journal is a great tool to use when doing this inventory. To prompt memories, you can write some short stories starting with things like, “When I was a kid and misbehaved, my father would ________________” or “When I was in school, if I didn’t complete an assignment, my teacher would say ________________.” You can fill in blanks such as, “When I succeeded at something, I was described as ________________,” or “When I didn’t succeed, people said ________________.” Play with the questions and fragments to come up with ones that relate to the area of your life where you’re dealing with a lot of emotional clutter, self-sabotage, or blocks so you can begin to understand what your beliefs are and where they come from. Another way to uncover your blocking beliefs is to listen for “if-then” statements. For example, if you say something like, “If I’m needy, then people won’t like me,” or “If I’m vulnerable, then I’ll be a burden.” That’s a good indication of early programming that has turned into an unhelpful rule. Also, listen for broad or gener...