Bliss Blockers

I came across this rather interesting list in a book that my mum was reading called, "Romancing the Ordinary: A Year of Simple Splendor" by Sarah Ban Breathnach. lol Don't laugh. I had nothing to do and the book was right there on the table lol

So it's basically a list of bad habits we subconsciously take part in from day-to-day and they might be causing us unhappiness. But if we become aware of them, we might be able to stop them. Maybe not all of them at the same time but at least the ones that we might consider to be the most damaging to our souls and well-beings and it'll be different for everyone. This list will merely be a guideline.

Wanting what you can't have
Not wanting what you do have
Seeing the world as hostile
Believing life is hard
Over reliance on outside circumstances to initiate change
Believing that money is the answer
Believing you're unlucky
Believing things will never change for the better
Exhaustion
Not eating well
Not exercising
Not listening to your body
Continuously finding fault with your body
Feeling unworthy of happiness, love and success
Not knowing who you are
Not knowing what you love
Self-loathing
Not recognizing addictive behaviour patterns or dependence
Workaholism in the name of getting ahead or staying on top of things
Perfectionism
Lack of humour
Inability to laugh at oneself
Shyness in social situations
Lack of spontaneity
Thinking you're too inexperienced
Pretending you are more experienced or worldly then you are
Believing the world will fall apart if you're not holding it together
Inability to ask for or receive help
Inability to be part of a team
Inability to say No gracefully
Needing to please
Seeing everything as competitive
Confusing being argumentative with being articulate
Always needing to be right
Putting others down so you can feel superior
Not trusting your intuition
Not following your dreams
Believing other people's second guesses are better then your first
Making a promise you dread
Making promises you know you won't or can't keep
Making promises just to keep the peace
Thinking worrying will make it better
Inability to relax
Confusing fatigue and laziness
Procrastination
Inability to self-motivate
Impatience
Rushing
Disorganization
Surrounding yourself with negativity
Remaining in toxic relationships
Setting unrealistic expectations for yourself
Setting unrealistic expectations for others
Looking at the world through a lens of lack
Lack of curiosity
Lack of faith
Lack of wonder
Lack of gratitude

Excerpts from the book:

The cruelest and most cunning way we deceive and deny ourselves the benediction of bliss is through the concept of duty to others. But "is devotion to others a cover for the hungers and the needs of the self, of which one is ashamed?" Anais Nin asks. "I was always ashamed to take. So I gave. It was not a virture. It was a disguise." How else do we block bliss? Let us count the ways. Through ignorance more often than not, although we call our bloss blockers by many aliases. However, as the gardening writer Ruth Stout reminds us, "The bliss that comes from ignorance should seldom be encouraged for it is likely to do one out of a more satisfying bliss." Like our peculiar patterns of making choices and giving promises, our bliss-blocking mosaics are highly developed and very personal. Made up of rogue habits, these soul snatchers specialize in changing identity as soon as we recognize them. Quite amazing to think that all of these bliss blockers have become so familiar we don't even notice them. As Hannah More wrote in 1811 in a little tract entitled, "Self-Love", "the ingenuity of self-deception is inexhaustible".

"This week pick just one bliss blocker (start with the one that made you wince when you read it) and see if you can't exchange these controlling habits with those of contentment".

^_^

That's quite an all-inclusive list...lol I'm guilty of more than half of those lol But like you said awareness is key and from there we can take steps to improve our lives 🙂 Awareness always has to come before change.

@OP 'Fields of Gold' is one of my favorite songs of all time! 🙂 (the video in your profile) I grew up listening to Sting's version but this female one sounds so angelic! I'm gonna go look for it on iTunes lol

Thank you so much for sharing this inspiring list with us, Ben 🙂 xx

I love it.

Very informative and eye-opening. I'm going to print this out so I can look at it whenever I need a little reminder and enlightenment lol Thank you for posting this!

Posted by loner
That's quite an all-inclusive list...lol I'm guilty of more than half of those lol But like you said awareness is key and from there we can take steps to improve our lives 🙂 Awareness always has to come before change.

@OP 'Fields of Gold' is one of my favorite songs of all time! 🙂 (the video in your profile) I grew up listening to Sting's version but this female one sounds so angelic! I'm gonna go look for it on iTunes lol

I'm a big fan of Sting 🙂

In other words "being absolutely perfect" which is nobody ever?

The concept makes sense, and I'm not disagreeing with it, but the list is a bit excessive. "Simple Splendor" with a list this complex? Did it mention that trying to keep up with the list would add even more worry and stress because you're having a hard time keeping up with it? :p