De-Mystifying Clarity
>> Thursday, July 31, 2008
"In order to possess what you do not possess, you must go the way of dispossession. In order to arrive at what you are not, you must go through the way in which you are not." ~ T. S. Eliot
Clarity doesn't seem like it needs, well, clarifying at first glance. But it’s not actually the concept that needs explanation, it's the "how to do it" part that trips us up. So, just to make sure we're clear here (pun intended), what is clarity?
To have clarity in one's life means having a sense of ease, of knowing that all is handled and in its place, the certainty of being able to easily access what comes next, the comfort of feeling like there's "enough" (energy, time, resources, etc.) to live a happy life. Clarity is organization, both physically and emotionally; it is that which allows us to move forward in our lives easily and effortlessly. When we have blinding moments of clarity, we have the answers we were searching for and can take the best action to get us to where we finally know we want to go. Clarity allows us to understand ourselves and our relationship to our world (which is really everything we are creating). The power to create is our clarity. Clarity is our creation in motion.
When we are not clear in some area of our lives, it shows up in the results. We don't feel good, our relationships are sticky, our career or business doesn’t produce, we're not happy, projects go unfinished... in other words, not having clarity is costing you life force energy on some level.
The process of getting clear can be uncomfortable – that's good. Growth happens when we outgrow where we were; just like a pair of shoes that are too small, the clarity we had at one time and that doesn't serve us anymore can "pinch" in the tight spots. And clarity can reveal things we’ve been running away from or that we just don't want to look at because then we'd have to handle it differently. And handling our lives with clarity means we have to show up differently, which is a new state of being or way of living.
Which brings us back to... clarity is the act of creation through conscious change. Where do you want to create something different in your life? The answer to that question is a clue as to where you are missing clarity.
Three Things You Can Do Today:
1. Figure out and release what you are not. As in, if you have clutter in your house, or are holding on to clothes, books, mementos of long-gone or even negative relationships, get rid of it. If you have friends who aren't treating you the way you want to be treated, make a decision to repair or replace. Whatever is in your life but doesn't reflect clearly who you are now is something that needs to be released. By creating "space", you are creating clarity.
2. Don't look for yourself where you are not. We are human – it's unavoidable that we will look to our community, social circle or others to help us learn, get approval or validate our thought process and choices. However, when we look to those external sources, we are giving away our power. We are looking for ourselves where we are not, which can only lead to more confusion over the long run. To stay clear, stay focused on what you know. If you need additional information, go to the cleanest source you can find "out there" and bring that back to your own personal source of clarity "in here". (Please let me know if you have questions on what a "clean source" means – it takes us off topic to explore further here.)
3. Set systems in place. Consider virtually anything you do, and look at how you can make it easier with a system. From washing dishes (soak, scrub, rinse, dry) to handling your voicemails (check them, listen, write down on the message pad, handle immediately, etc.), you can put something together that allows you to minimize your energy on activities or functions that you do repeatedly which frees up more energy to create something new. Having more energy allows you to focus on having greater clarity.
So, now that you know clarity is not a mystery, but rather the essential part of the change creation process, you’re responsible for it in your life from this point forward. And if you're still unclear about why this matters or how it's affecting your life, let me know.
Clarity doesn't seem like it needs, well, clarifying at first glance. But it’s not actually the concept that needs explanation, it's the "how to do it" part that trips us up. So, just to make sure we're clear here (pun intended), what is clarity?
To have clarity in one's life means having a sense of ease, of knowing that all is handled and in its place, the certainty of being able to easily access what comes next, the comfort of feeling like there's "enough" (energy, time, resources, etc.) to live a happy life. Clarity is organization, both physically and emotionally; it is that which allows us to move forward in our lives easily and effortlessly. When we have blinding moments of clarity, we have the answers we were searching for and can take the best action to get us to where we finally know we want to go. Clarity allows us to understand ourselves and our relationship to our world (which is really everything we are creating). The power to create is our clarity. Clarity is our creation in motion.
When we are not clear in some area of our lives, it shows up in the results. We don't feel good, our relationships are sticky, our career or business doesn’t produce, we're not happy, projects go unfinished... in other words, not having clarity is costing you life force energy on some level.
The process of getting clear can be uncomfortable – that's good. Growth happens when we outgrow where we were; just like a pair of shoes that are too small, the clarity we had at one time and that doesn't serve us anymore can "pinch" in the tight spots. And clarity can reveal things we’ve been running away from or that we just don't want to look at because then we'd have to handle it differently. And handling our lives with clarity means we have to show up differently, which is a new state of being or way of living.
Which brings us back to... clarity is the act of creation through conscious change. Where do you want to create something different in your life? The answer to that question is a clue as to where you are missing clarity.
Three Things You Can Do Today:
1. Figure out and release what you are not. As in, if you have clutter in your house, or are holding on to clothes, books, mementos of long-gone or even negative relationships, get rid of it. If you have friends who aren't treating you the way you want to be treated, make a decision to repair or replace. Whatever is in your life but doesn't reflect clearly who you are now is something that needs to be released. By creating "space", you are creating clarity.
2. Don't look for yourself where you are not. We are human – it's unavoidable that we will look to our community, social circle or others to help us learn, get approval or validate our thought process and choices. However, when we look to those external sources, we are giving away our power. We are looking for ourselves where we are not, which can only lead to more confusion over the long run. To stay clear, stay focused on what you know. If you need additional information, go to the cleanest source you can find "out there" and bring that back to your own personal source of clarity "in here". (Please let me know if you have questions on what a "clean source" means – it takes us off topic to explore further here.)
3. Set systems in place. Consider virtually anything you do, and look at how you can make it easier with a system. From washing dishes (soak, scrub, rinse, dry) to handling your voicemails (check them, listen, write down on the message pad, handle immediately, etc.), you can put something together that allows you to minimize your energy on activities or functions that you do repeatedly which frees up more energy to create something new. Having more energy allows you to focus on having greater clarity.
So, now that you know clarity is not a mystery, but rather the essential part of the change creation process, you’re responsible for it in your life from this point forward. And if you're still unclear about why this matters or how it's affecting your life, let me know.
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