For the last 2 to 3 years, I have been in a place in my life where I had (and still have) everything I once wanted, but I felt like something was missing, I felt discontented, stuck and dissatisfied with myself.
I knew I wanted to change things – my health, finances, the way that I was approaching life – but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do about any of it. Most of the time, I just ignored all of this and distracted myself.
I didn’t have any clarity on what I wanted or what I needed to do. This lack of clarity is felt in us very deeply so it shows up in how we talk, how we hold ourselves, and how other people feel us. It affects our relationships, our jobs, and our health.
Then I got very clear that I needed to change. And clear that I wanted to simplify my overall life, start walking & practising yoga, become vegetarian, start waking earlier, and start writing more. I went on to do all those and more.
Clarity helps us to focus, to take action, and to feel energised.
Some examples of areas to find clarity in:
- Your purpose in life
- Your morning & evening routine
- Your financial plan
- Your quality of life
- What you need to do to improve your relationships
- How you’ll get healthier
As you can see, this is a pretty broad topic – it can apply to every part of our lives. And we don’t have to be perfect, and we don’t have to get clarity on everything this week. It’s something to bring awareness to so that we can improve over time – the more we find clarity, the more we’ll have focus, calm, and motivation.
How to Get Clarity
Carve out an hour. Half a day. A weekend – whatever time you need, then work through the list below.
- Create space. Your mind has to process everything that crosses your field of vision. If your home or work environment is cluttered and messy, the mess and clutter result in brain fog. You can’t work effectively or live thoughtfully in chaos. Clear the clutter and reset to zero at least once a week.
- Meditate. Similarly, you can go out in nature and spend some time in solitude. Go for a walk. Sit on a rock. Meditate. See what comes up for you. Hold one question in your mind: “What do I want here?”
- Identify what matters. Write down your passion statements for work and life. What really matters to you? Passion statements aren’t maybes, they are musts.
- Do one thing at a time. When you are writing, write. When you are doing the dishes, do the dishes. You don’t need TV, Twitter, Email, and 11 other things going on at the same time. Immerse yourself in the task at hand.
- Eliminate distractions. You may be so used to the beeps and dings from your phone and flashing messages on your computer screen that you don’t know how distracting they are. It can take 15 minutes or more to recover from even a small distraction. Turn off notifications and if you can’t resist the pull of your devices, turn them off when you are doing other work. When you realize that most of your distractions are self-imposed, it’s easier to eliminate them.
- Eat well. Your brain doesn’t have to rely on caffeine and sugar to function. Prove it by removing the stimulating substances you think you need for one week. Then start adding more natural fuel like greens and fresh fruit.
- Write to get clear. Write for a few minutes every morning. If you are experiencing great clarity, write it down. If you can’t get clear, write that down too. Sometimes you can write out the distraction and get down to clarity.
- Experiment. You don’t know what you don’t know. If you want clarity about the foods that best fuel you, the habits that improve your life, or the work you want to do, experiment. Learn through experience and experiments: Wake up at 4:30 am every day for 21 days, Dress with less than 33 items, Cut out sugar, coffee, and alcohol for 30 days, Quit TV and the internet, and Try distraction-free iPhone.
- Talk to others. Share your thoughts with others. Share what you’re not sure about. What you’re afraid of. Hear their thoughts. Often you can get clarity from a good conversation.
When you have a little clarity, write it down. If you have some kind of answer, any kind of clarity at all, write it down as simply as you can. Two sentences. Putting it down simply helps it become more clear. And then you can start to take action on it.
Have the slightest bit of direction? Go in that direction, take the first steps, and see what it’s like. You’ll learn more from doing than going back and forth on things.
Reflect after you take action & get clearer. As you set things in motion, it’s useful to step back every now and then to see how things are going. What have you learned? What’s getting in the way? Use what you’ve learned to get even more clarity.
Write it down simply. Take action again. And repeat.
What areas of your life need clarity? How is the lack of clarity affecting you and those around you? Are you ready to create the space to get the clarity?
