In 2008, Mindvalley crossed $1M in revenue for the first time.
Within three weeks, I picked a brutal fight with my business partner. I got sick. I made a string of decisions so reckless they nearly took the whole company down.
I didn’t connect the dots until years later, when I read Gay Hendricks. He had a name for what happened to me: the Upper Limit Problem.
There’s a thermostat inside you for how much good you can tolerate. The setting was decided long before you were old enough to choose it — by your childhood, your culture, the unspoken family beliefs about what someone like you is allowed to have. Every time you exceed that number, your nervous system doesn’t celebrate. It panics. And it manufactures a crisis to drag you back to what feels familiar, even when familiar means smaller.
I’ve watched this same pattern repeat at $1M, $10M, $100M. The number on the thermostat changes. The mechanism never does.
Then I started looking.
After 23 years of teaching this work and 12 million students through Mindvalley, I’ve identified 10 of these invisible blocks. Not mindset hacks. Not techniques. Ten invisible walls — and the people stuck behind them almost never know they’re there.
So our team built something for you.
It’s a 3-minute diagnostic that identifies which of these 10 blocks are most active in your life right now. Link’s at the bottom. But before you take it, I want you to understand the framework because the moment you can name the thing blocking you, half the work is already done.
You can’t fix what you can’t see.
Manifesting is like driving a car
Imagine your manifestation is a road trip. To reach the destination, your car needs four things to function:
The car itself — the chassis, the engine, the make and model. This is your inner identity. If you see yourself as a beat-up jalopy, you’ll never drive like a Ferrari even when the highway is wide open.
The fuel — what powers the journey. This is your energy. Dirty fuel – toxic relationships, hustle anxiety, draining environments, and the engine sputters no matter how good the car is.
The GPS — the computer that decides where you allow yourself to go. This is your subconscious programming. A bad GPS keeps rerouting you to the same dead-end streets.
The driver — you behind the wheel. Are you actually driving, or stalling? Can you handle it when traffic gets weird?
Every manifestation that fails breaks down in one of these four systems. Here are the 10 ways.
THE CAR — Inner identity blocks
The make and model of who you believe yourself to be.
Block #1 — Upper limit problem (“I don’t have what it takes”)
You hit a new level financially, romantically, creatively, and within weeks, something mysteriously falls apart. The fight. The illness. The deal that collapses. You call it bad luck. It isn’t. It’s your nervous system pulling you back to the temperature it was calibrated for. The higher you climb, the more brutal it gets.
Block #2 — Emotional incongruence (“I don’t deserve this”)
You can say “I want a million dollars” while your body vibrates at “I don’t deserve ten thousand.” The words mean nothing if the felt sense contradicts them.
I sat across from a potential investor in my twenties once, thinking: Why would this person give money to me? Not as a strategy. As genuine confusion. I walked out having sabotaged the meeting without saying a single wrong word. My energy said everything.
Brené Brown found 85% of adults carry some form of “not enough” programming from childhood. That’s most of us doing manifestation work on a cracked foundation. The picture looks great. The structure can’t hold it.
Block #3 — Fear of success (“I can’t sustain it”)
Most people think they fear failure. Advanced practitioners fear success. Because success means being seen. Being seen means being judged. And worst of all, success requires you to become someone who can hold it.
You quietly dim your light. Not because you lack skill. Because stepping into your power requires an identity death, the underdog, the spiritual seeker, the struggling artist would have to go. And identity death, even when it’s an upgrade, feels like actual death to the nervous system.
THE FUEL — Energy misalignment blocks
The quality of what’s in your tank.
Block #4 — Hustle vs. receiving
The block I see most often in entrepreneurs: hustle disguised as aligned action.
Here’s the test. If I removed the fear of failure from this action, would I still do it? If yes, it’s aligned. If not, it’s hustle wearing a productivity costume.
I built Mindvalley both ways. The early years were 80-hour weeks driven by terror of failure. The company grew, but I was brittle. When I shifted to making decisions from vision rather than fear, we grew faster. With less effort.
The final stage of mastery isn’t doing more. It’s doing less from a higher frequency.
Block #5 — Wrong people, wrong environment
You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, energetically, not just intellectually.
The dangerous ones aren’t dramatically toxic. They’re the heavy ones. Conversations that always circle back to complaints. Energy that drifts toward cynicism. People who shrink you politely.
You can do incredible inner work, and a single draining relationship can undo it by noon. There is no neutral. Every close relationship is either amplifying your frequency or distorting it.
THE GPS — Subconscious programming blocks
The old code that decides where you’re allowed to go.
Block #6 — Brules (“bullshit rules”)
Money is dirty. Wanting more is selfish. Who do you think you are?
These were the beliefs I grew up carrying in Malaysia. I never chose them. I carried that software for thirty years.
I wrote The Code of the Extraordinary Mind about it, because the rules we inherit from culture, family, and religion are often the ones that cage us hardest. I called them Brules. Bullshit Rules.
Your conscious mind visualizes abundance. Meanwhile, your GPS is silently routing you to a dead end. You can visualize until your brain hurts. If a Brule is whispering that wealthy people are bad, your subconscious will sabotage every opportunity that could make you one.
Block #7 — Visualization from lack
Your brain doesn’t know the difference between “I’m visualizing abundance” and “I’m reinforcing the awareness that I don’t have it.” It responds to the underlying feeling, not the picture.
This one hits home, because visualization is central to my Six Phase Meditation. Millions practice it daily. And most people are doing it backwards. They picture the house, the income, the relationship — and the dominant emotion underneath is I don’t have this yet. They’re training their brain to get better at wanting. Not at having.
The fix: don’t visualize the future. Visualize from the state of already having it. The gratitude. The ease. The normalcy.
Block #8 — Time lag frustration
This block has killed more dreams than any other. Not at the beginning. At day forty-seven.
That’s when most people quit. The desire is set. The energy is moving. But nothing visible has changed. And the silence feels like failure.
The bamboo tree spends five years underground before growing ninety feet in six weeks. Most people pull up the bamboo in year four. Your job during the silence isn’t to manufacture evidence. It’s to hold the faith.
THE DRIVER — Manifestation integration blocks
You behind the wheel.
Block #9 — Surrender
In 2012, I spent three months trying to force a specific business partnership into existence. I visualized it every morning. I willed it with everything I had. Nothing moved.
Then I let go. Genuinely let go, not the fake “let go” where you’re still checking your inbox every four minutes. I released the outcome entirely. Within two weeks, a completely different opportunity appeared. The one that became A-Fest.
The paradox: the tighter you grip, the less you receive. Gripping tightly doesn’t broadcast faith; it broadcasts fear. I don’t chase. I attract. If something is meant for me, it will not miss me.
Block #10 — Quantum leap syndrome
You finally got the thing. The bestseller. The 10x year. The dream relationship. And now, inexplicably, you’re making strange decisions. Picking fights. Overcomplicating things. Almost… testing whether the new reality will hold.
When The Code of the Extraordinary Mind hit the bestseller list, I caught myself doing exactly this. Like, part of me didn’t believe the new reality was safe to keep.
Your nervous system has a window of tolerance. Too much activation, even positive activation, like sudden wealth or visibility, pushes you outside it. And outside the window, your system has one goal: get back inside. By any means necessary. Including self-destruction.
Notice something
Not a single one of these 10 blocks is about technique.
Not one.
They’re about identity, energy, programming, and how you drive. The people who break through don’t visualize harder. They don’t journal more. They don’t find a better affirmation script.
They clear what’s in the way.
You don’t need more tools. You need to remove the interference stopping the tools you already have from working.
So let’s find yours.
Take the 3-Minute Manifesting Blocks Diagnostic
Be brutally honest when you take it. Most people are surprised by which blocks come up first and even more surprised by which part of the car is broken.
Some people have a Car problem.
Some a Fuel problem.
Some a GPS problem.
Some a Driver problem.
The work for each is completely different.
Once you have your results, you’ll understand exactly why we built The Manifesting Summit the way we did.
We brought together teachers who work on each of these specific blocks, not surface-level tips, but identity shifts, subconscious rewiring, nervous system regulation.
The work that turns manifestation from something you try into something you are.
But start with the diagnosis.
You can’t clear what you can’t name.
With love,
P.S. When you get your results, leave a comment on this blog version of this newsletter about which block surprised you most. I read every comment. The blocks you can see aren’t the dangerous ones. It’s the ones you’ve normalized.
16 Responses
Dear Vishen, Kristina and your dear family’s & at Mindvalley office,
Thanks for the invitation to comment on the 3 minutes survey , according to the answers given, the survey describes that I am at a loss in the areas of
1. bullshit rules “brules” inherent,
not necessarily in my own family directly, certainly in the wider macrocosm umbrella of thought patterns of the western values society we are in
Eg, we were born free, yet in fact the social environment we find our selves in, has constructed serious limitations via sexism, racism & torrid discrimination that I never knew consciously the impacts in childhood, until it’s playing out here in our lives, as we, from two different cultures married 31 years ago.
2. The environment drains manifesting energy, faster than we generate, is pointing to the social constructs that are murdering our human civil rights to basic living standards in Australia and around the world, by the reality we aren’t struggling with this on our own as isolated incidents, more as products of social exclusion,
as one culture disrespectful to the first nations traditional owners families around the world uses language abuse and every other form of violent stand over , to elicit the earth resources once protected by traditional owners first nations family around the world.
3.Hustle mode, feels about true for manifesting from low energy, or scarcity we were in, all of our married life, to now, and the violent coercion that impacts us from our early childhood life ,
I find myself in hustle mode while seeking for our human rights in Australia, trying to communicate with the law makers, where it would be miraculous recovery,
to attract exactly what we need from the environment that is governed by the violations that colonised our country before I was born to this life.
I personally refuse to blame myself, for the situation of blocked manifesting energy, and always working on self improvement methods of healing
While fully comprehend the world environment we are in so driven by fossil fuels agendas and comfort zoners, impacts everything we do and all of our human rights to be who we are in this life, with respect.
Yes I am looking forward to learning more in the Manifesting Summit about our social freedom and human rights to become the best versions of ourselves in our society, that wants to work on upgrading the standards of compassion for every human being everywhere.
Peace love & flower power from the 1960’s is all I bring with me
Kind Regards
This is really helpful for people who practice manifestation and unfortunately are not aligned towards the right method or content as how the surrounding and underlying conditions should be. This blog is a perfect guide to clear those blocks and unwind or unleash the potential.
I was surprised ho well I have hidden my hustle/mode from myself. Same with Brules. I was sure that I have done enough to dissolve those. Upper limit problem was also in Top 3. I totally agree.
See you!
Thank you for sharing this, Vishen. I am not quite surprised at the results; The Upper Limit Problem, Fear of Success, and Hustle Mode. Just disappointed I haven’t already overcome them. Smiles!
Dear Vishen,
The block that surprised me the most was the “Upper Limit Problem.”
I’ve always believed that if I keep showing up and doing what I love,
things will eventually grow.
And I still believe that.
But this reflection helped me see something deeper—
sometimes, it’s not the lack of effort that holds me back,
but a quiet part of me that is still learning
to fully believe I deserve what I’m asking for.
I realized that growth is not only about doing more,
but also about allowing more.
Thank you for this gentle awareness. 🤍
— Nuchanat
Dear Vishen,
The block that surprised me the most was the “Upper Limit Problem.”
I’ve always believed that if I keep showing up and doing what I love,
things will eventually grow.
And I still believe that.
But this reflection helped me see something deeper—
sometimes, it’s not the lack of effort that holds me back,
but a quiet part of me that is still learning
to fully believe I deserve what I’m asking for.
I realized that growth is not only about doing more,
but also about allowing more.
Thank you for this gentle awareness. 🤍
— Nuchanat
Insightful. Interesting. Looking forward to this event. I noticed that I hold myself back and am challenged to let myself be happy. Part of my problem is the world situation with so much suffering in the world. How can I rise above these emotions, to be happy when there is so much suffering in the word? How can i release the negative energy to let myself achieve more and give more? How can my body be healed from what people call “aging”, and how much is emotional driving the physical body, expressing discouragement when I try? This event sounds quite good. Thank you so much for all that I learn from you!
Hi vishen.
I took the 3 minute manifestation Blocks Quiz. 1. The car Inner Identity 2.Hustle Mode Energy Misalignment 3. Time Lag GPS subconscious Programming. Number 2. Surprised me, for sure. 1 and 3 has seem normal.
Hi. Vishen. I took the the. 3 minute Quiz for my three manifestation Blocks, which are 1. The car my. Inner Identity.2. Hustle mode the fuel Energy Misalignment. 3 GPS Time lag subconscious Programming. Number 2. Really surprised me.
Dear Vishen,
Greetings!
We the 10 siblings (minus Xandra who died at a young age brought by miningitis) had been raised from an impoverished family and ancestors, whose livelihood had been focused on Farming and Fishing as the Island of Biri Northern Samar (one of the many Islands in the Visayas Regions of the Philippines); wherein the only technology that we had within those years (from 1967 – my Eldest Brother, Rene Elutin Ecleo’s year of birth and up to 1985 – the year when I graduated at Biri Barangay High School and recognized as First Honorable Mention, during the “Apostolic Succession” of Pope John Paul II) had only been our AM Radio, tuned in to DZRH daily and nightly.
Nothing more, nothing less!
As a matter of fact, while in the absence of electricity (unlike at present) we had been dependent of our lamps (filled with kerosene – we call it “petrolyo” based on our Birianon Local Dialect) everytime when took our dinner and studied our lessons until midnight.
And you know what Vishen! This AM Radio Station of DZRH could be travelled for one day and a half (although it could be travelled by airplane for only 30 minutes but unaffordable) by motorboat from the Island of Biri Northern Samar to Lavezares Northern Samar; followed by the Jeepney going to Allen Northern Samar; followed by the ship going to Matnog, Sorsogon; then followed by the bus going to Pasay City Bus Terminal; then upon alighting of the bus, just walk a bit of distance so as to take the Jeepney going to the exact location of this AM Radio Station of DZRH.
Otherwise, from Pasay City Bus Terminal, I can transfer to other Bus Terminal bound to Dasmariñas, Cavite and it would take more than 1 hour and a half (depending on the traffic situation on the road) before I reached the Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, fronting St. Dominic College and Private Hospital; and from there upon alighting of the bus, I would walk a bit of distance going to the Jeepney Terminal so as to travel for another more than 30 minutes (depending on the congested traffic condition on the road); then drop by along Molino Road, fronting Camella Lessandra Subdivision (developed by Senators Cynthia and Manny Villar), the exact location of our residence.
These have been shared to you Vishen not to be dramatic about it but to be factual.
And you know what? The only huge buildings (but could not be compared to the high rise buildings in Ayala Avenue, Makati City and Taguig City) and even up to present are the Municipality of Biri, Biri District Hospital and San Vicente de Ferrer Catholic Church. No malls. No Bookstores. No Supermarkets. No structure of any industries.
Thus, the people of Biri Nothern Samar have been deprived of a lot of opportunities most especially on employemnent. And that is why, some of them (if not all) have to relocate to the City so as to explore employment opportunities.
In fact, I simply used my Surplus Tecno Mobile Phone (made in China rather than Philippines), which I bought at PHP1,500 at one of the Cellphone Repair Shops at Zapote Arcade (which could be travelled for more than 30 minutes from our house) on writing and transmitting of my lengthy comments to your post here on your website.
And you know what? The most expensive Mobile phone that I acquired was Nokia Mobile Phone, valued at PHP8K, during the time when I had been employed as an Account Executive by Business Machines Corporation (BISMAC), from March 1997 to March 2026.
This company has been founded by the Former Phillipines Ambassadress to the U.S. Isabel Caro Wilson and her American Husband Claude Wilson.
You may wonder how I was able to know these years of my employment is because I have my updated Comprehensive Resume on my side.
Furthermore, should you need any urgent staff (from your Mind Valley University) to any Department it may be or even a blue-collar Profession) kindly reach me out and that will be highly appreciated.
By the way, from the accessible link that you have provided on Gmail, it redirected me to this website of yours.
Thank you for reaching me out and best regards.
Sincerely,
Allan Elutin Tubelleza Ecleo
The Time lag frustration block surprised me. It’s my number 2 block. Because, I usually don’t get frustrated easily. Nothing is actually working for me for quite sometime, but I never give up, I am trying new things all the time. Or may be that’s the reason, that’s creating the block. I have to think about it.
Thank you for sharing the system to find out my blocks.
Looking forward to the Manifesting Summit!
Best wishes!
Здравствуйте.
Просто потрясающе, тест очень точно показал, что происходит в моей жизни. Всё верно, у меня будто есть “внутренний потолок”, который не даёт мне расти, и ощущение, что чего-то хорошего я не заслужила, а для того, чтоб что-то получить, нужно много и тяжело работать. Мне казалось, что мои желания не исполняются из-за неправильных техник, но теперь я поняла, что мне нужно работать в другом направлении, создавать внутреннюю гармонию и счастье. Благодарю вас за этот тест и за такие понятные объяснения.
My top 3 blocks are:
Visualization from Lack
Time Lag Frustration Hustle Mode
I’m honestly not surprised because I see them occurring repeatedly in my life. I will be attending the Manifestation Summit, hopefully as a VIP so I can view the 5/17 recorded version. I will be running a 10K that day!
My top 3 blocks are:
Visualization from Lack
Time Lag Frustration
Hustle Mode
I’m honestly not surprised because I can see the blocks occurring on r
I wasn’t surprised to see that i had blocks in some of the areas particularly self-sabotage and the fear of being seen when successful because i have lived almost all my life celebrating others and not myself. I have worked on myself since my spiritual awakening in 2020 and it’s been quite a hectic journey. But i have also come across a healer who blocked my path as well by putting me down during a group energy healing session. Sounds very unprofessional, but it’s the truth and i now don’t go to any of those sessions and rely on the tools i have learnt and practice non-attachment as much as i can. Looking forward to your session Vishen.
Devi
This piece genuinely made me pause and reflect. The thermostat analogy is so simple yet so accurate. I’ve lived through that cycle more times than I can count, hitting a new level and then watching something quietly unravel shortly after. Only now does it make sense why.
What resonates most is how these blocks aren’t about doing more or trying harder. They live in the identity, the energy, the old programming running quietly in the background. Block #7, especially, I used to think I was visualizing abundance, but the feeling underneath was still “I don’t have this yet.” That’s such a subtle shift, but it changes everything.
What’s the one block you’ve seen people break through that creates the biggest ripple effect across all the others? Would love to hear more on that.