We Are the Barriers to Our Own Brilliance
- Monica Kalra
- Jul 27
- 3 min read
The mind produces 6,000 thoughts a day.
Most of them are on repeat.
Most of them go unquestioned.
And many of them are quietly shaping how small we stay.
You might think you’re stuck because of your situation.
Because of timing.
Because of other people.
Or you don’t know your next step.
But more often than not, what’s really in the way…is you
Or more precisely, your thinking.
You’re capable. So why does it still feel like this?
You’re not falling behind.
You’re not falling apart.
From the outside, things look good, maybe even impressive.
And yet.
You can’t shake this sense that something is off.
You overthink decisions that used to feel easy.
You second-guess your instincts.
You delay taking action, not because you’re not smart, but because you don’t feel clear.
You don’t trust what you know anymore.
And the most exhausting part?
You don’t have a name for what’s wrong.
The truth about mental noise (and why it’s not your fault)
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about willpower, discipline, or “mindset.”
Your brain is wired to protect you.
Your nervous system is wired to keep you safe.
And safety, for most of us, has meant staying within what’s familiar.
Even if that familiar space is too small for who we are now.
A Harvard study found that we spend nearly half our waking hours lost in thought, mostly rehearsing the future or replaying the past.
We’ve been trained to solve everything with the mind.
To think more. Analyse better. Push harder.
But when the thinking itself is the problem, more thinking won’t get you out.
So what do we do instead?
Here’s what I tell my clients:
You don’t need to fix your thoughts.
You need to stop believing every single one of them.
Start here:
Not every thought is true.
Not every fear is a sign.
Not every hesitation means something’s wrong.
Sometimes, it just means your nervous system is tired.
Or your inner protector is on high alert.
Or you’ve outgrown the old internal rules, but no one ever taught you new ones.
This is where so many professionals get stuck —
Not because they’re not ready to grow…
But because they don’t yet realise they’re allowed to.
A reset, before the breakthrough
When your head feels noisy and you don’t know what to do next:
Pause.
Don’t ask, “What should I do?”
Instead, ask: “What’s the quality of my mind right now?”
If your thinking feels urgent, heavy, or rushed - give yourself a moment before that decision.
If it feels calm, steady, or clear - you're probably ready.
The point isn’t to silence your thoughts.
It’s to stop letting them run the show.
Brilliance isn’t loud. But it’s there.
You don’t need a reinvention.
You don’t need a 5-year plan.
You don’t need more strategy.
You need a moment of reconnection.
The next level of your life won’t come from overthinking.
It will come from clearing the mental clutter that’s blocking your own knowing.
Because you were never confused.
You were just caught in loops that no longer reflect who you are.
As two powerful voices remind us:
"Don’t believe everything you think.” - Byron Katie
“Your nervous system is not the enemy. It’s just been conditioned to expect danger where there isn’t any.” - Deb Dana
💬 Reflection Question:
Have you noticed the difference between thoughts that feel urgent and thoughts that feel true?
🎧 Get your reset audio
If your thoughts have been running in circles and you’re ready to feel clear again, I’ve created a short, powerful reset to help.
In just 3 minutes, you’ll begin shifting out of mental noise… and back into yourself.
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