You're probably not. At least not as much as you think.
A/N: This is part of a sort of jacked up advent series. I'll be writing daily from now until Jan. 6th. I'll hopefully post some of that writing twice or thrice a week.
The hidden wisdom in every plateau (and how to access it)
I think every holy book I’ve ever read features some version of “Be not afraid.” Now that is really “hard” and actually really bad advice… probably because it’s not meant to be advice. It enforces a pause. When you are terrified and someone tells you to not be that, what happens? The record scratches. Your brain, if it’s like mine, probably gives you some sort of “Bitch, what?” Now, when I was more defensive about this sort of thing, it was because I lacked faith in my own co-creative power. If you have any history with being invalidated, “Be not afraid” or anything with a similar sentiment can be triggering. But understanding the root system of the trigger is exactly how you get the necessary juice.
My most powerful teacher in this principle was… my mother. My mother sometimes had a hard time validating her own inner life and thus invalidated mine frequently. If you don’t know another way to be, you can’t really be expected to be another way. I expected it because a child expects, rightfully, nourishment. One of the most important forms of nourishment a child receives is validation, especially from the being they’re unable to see themselves as separate from for the first few years of life. (For some people, the individuation process never completes, which is complex pathology we won’t be delving into this time.)
The necessary juice, that real essence of growth, often lies right in the middle of our resistance. Plateaus, those moments where everything feels stuck and unmoving, are actually invitations to access deeper wisdom. It’s funny how life works that way—what we resist usually holds the key to our next level. We’re so used to thinking that progress means constant movement, constant achievement, that we forget one of the biggest truths of the human experience: sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come through stillness.
When you're told to “be not afraid” or some variation of it, you might be inclined to fight back, to reject the stillness or the discomfort that a plateau brings. But in reality, plateaus aren’t here to punish you. They’re here to invite you into a state of reflection and receptivity—they slow things down so you can finally catch up to yourself. Fear simply isn't a good enough reason to not live your life and it carries data, like all sensations. Persistent cowering is a surefire way to lose life's taste. And, even scarier, it ensures you will dislike yourself. This is different to letting a plateau give you its gift.
Think about it. When you’re constantly pushing, constantly moving, you can’t always see the bigger picture. Plateaus give you the space to breathe, to pause, and to let those deeper layers of understanding rise to the surface. It’s in these moments of pause that the hidden wisdom comes through—the stuff you might have been too busy or too distracted to catch.
So, how do you access this wisdom? You stop fighting the plateau. The fight is what produces the "stuck" sensation. You stop seeing the plateau as an enemy and instead start listening to it. Plateaus are filled with insight, but you have to be willing to surrender to the stillness long enough to hear what’s being offered. You have to be willing to sit in the void without trying to fill it or rush through it. A plateau trusts that you will climb another mountain and asks the same of you. Not much, but it feels like quite a big ask when you are unaccustomed to hearing yourself.
The real pleasure happens when you ask yourself, “What is this moment trying to teach me? What am I avoiding by pushing for constant progress?” Often, the wisdom hidden in the plateau is something you already know on a subconscious level but haven’t fully embraced yet. It’s the part of you that knows what you need next, but maybe you’re too afraid or too doubtful to claim it.
The pause that happens when you’re told “Be not afraid” is the same pause you need to honor when you hit a plateau. It’s not about not feeling fear; it’s about allowing the fear to show you where you’re not trusting yourself. The plateau, in its frustrating stillness, is where you can choose to rebuild your faith in your own power and in the process of co-creation.
Every plateau is a reminder that the power isn’t just in the movement. The power is in the pause. So next time you hit one, instead of resisting, lean into it. Let it strip away all the noise and distractions. That’s where the magic is—right in the stillness you’re tempted to escape from. The wisdom you seek? It’s been there all along, waiting for you to be still enough to hear it.
If you're ready to listen and move accordingly, here are some lovingly crafted Neurointuitive solutions that can help:
Imperative to start here with Soul Retrieval if you are unfamiliar with Neurointuitive work.
For learning to distinguish between anxiety and intuition:
For learning to restructure and realign a foundation while removing fear of doing so as many times as needed.
For fear of waiting as you listen to your intuition and for bringing feeling back into the body.
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