The Incompetent Receptionist — Or the Annoying Truth About My Inner Blocks
What a frustrating moment taught me about the one thing we get wrong about manifesting
Photo by Jill Heyer on Unsplash
I was annoyed. Deeply, petulantly, Monday-afternoon annoyed.
This wasn’t about world peace or an existential crisis. This was about my cat’s ultrasound. I was on the phone with the vet’s receptionist, a person I’m sure is perfectly lovely, as she fumbled through an explanation of the different tests they offer. She couldn’t clarify the difference between the two ultrasound procedures.
My mind spiraled.
How can you work here and not know this? I’m trying to make an informed decision for my furry family member. This is so incompetent.
The old, familiar script of blame was cued up and ready to roll. I could feel the story forming: The Incompetent Receptionist. A story I’d later share with my husband, Cristof, to validate my righteous frustration.
But in the space between my thought and my reaction, a teaching I’ve shared a hundred times echoed back at me, not as a theory, but as a stark, personal indictment:
“The drama of life is a psychological one in which all the conditions, circumstances and events of your life are brought to pass by your assumptions.” – Neville Goddard, The Power of Awareness
Ouch.
In that moment, the vet’s office faded. The only reality was the one in my mind. My assumption wasn’t about the receptionist; it was far more personal. It was an old, hidden assumption about myself: “Getting what I need is a struggle. People in ‘helper’ roles won’t have the answers. I have to figure everything out the hard way.”
My annoyance at her was just a perfect, mirror-like reflection of that internal assumption manifesting in the 3D. I had called this exact play into being.
And here’s the part we rarely talk about on our spiritual journeys: My next feeling was a fresh wave of annoyance. This time, at Neville’s quote. At the teaching itself.
Because realizing you are the sole author of your reality is, theoretically, the most empowering concept in the universe. But in practice? It’s annoying. Blaming the receptionist, the economy, the algorithm, my upbringing—that’s easy. It’s a passive, victimhood cocoon. Taking full responsibility means the buck stops here, in the quiet of my own mind. No more casting characters for the role of “villain” in my story.
This is the unspoken truth about that “block” you feel. That stuckness, that feeling of a wall between you and your next step, isn’t a cruel trick of the universe. It’s not proof you’re “bad at manifesting.”
It is almost always a sign that you’ve bumped up against a deep, subconscious assumption that contradicts your conscious desire. And your frustration with the “block” is often just a disguised frustration with the annoying, inconvenient responsibility of having to change your mind.
So, what do you do when you find yourself here, in the gap between the blame you want to feel and the responsibility you know you must claim?
You do the simplest, most peaceful, and most counterintuitive thing of all.
You give the duality space to exist.
I didn’t force myself to suddenly feel love and light for the receptionist. I didn’t berate myself for being “a bad manifestor.” I simply became the observer of my own mind’s drama.
Part of me is annoyed and wants to blame.
Part of me knows I am the creator of this experience.
And both of these truths can coexist.
I allowed them both to be there, without judgment, without trying to instantly fix or spiritually bypass the “negative” one. I held space for my own humanity. In that space of allowance, the charge around the annoyance dissipated. The “block” wasn’t a solid wall to beat against; it was a cloud of contradictory energy that simply needed acknowledgment.
This is the practical, daily magic. It’s not about never feeling negative emotion. It’s about changing your relationship to it.
Your “Block” is Your Compass
That feeling of inner resistance is your most accurate guide. It’s not saying “STOP.” It’s saying, “PAUSE.”
The assumption you are holding in this area is not in alignment with the identity you wish to assume.
The next time you feel that familiar stuckness—whether it’s about money, a relationship, or your creative work—don’t try to manifest it away. Get curious.
Pause and Locate the 3D Trigger: What minor, annoying event just happened? (The slow email reply, the rejected pitch, the doubting friend).
Ask the Creator, Not the Victim: “What assumption must I be holding about myself or the world to have created this specific experience as my reality?” (e.g., “My ideas are easily dismissed,” “Money is hard to come by,” “I am not supported.”).
Allow the Duality: Admit, “Part of me believes that old story. And part of me knows I am the creator who can choose a new one.” Sit in that truth without forcing a resolution. Breathe into the space between.
This process isn’t about achieving perfection. It’s about practicing awareness. The moment you can observe the old assumption without being wholly identified with it, you have already begun to master it. As Neville says, you move from being a slave to your assumptions to becoming their master.
The receptionist will eventually find the information. I fully trust that. But the real shift happened in my mind. I walked away from a mundane Monday stress-factor with a renewed, visceral understanding of the only truth that matters: my outer world is the signage of my inner assumptions.
And the path to changing the signage isn’t through force, but through a gentle, attentive, and sometimes annoyingly honest conversation with the only writer in the room—you.
If the idea of shifting your identity from the inside out resonates—if you’re tired of battling “blocks” and ready to understand them as your guides—you’re not alone. This is the work we do every day in our free Skool community, Shift Your Identity (SYI). It’s a space where mindful creators and seekers move from theory to embodied practice, supporting each other in rewriting those deep assumptions. We’d be honored to have you join the conversation.
👉 Join our free Skool community, Shift Your Identity (SYI), here.