Did you know confusion may be driving your fears? It very well may be taking the wheel. When we are confused about our desired outcome, our path forward, and our big WHY, we will often retreat in fear and fail to move forward with anything at all. It’s as if we are paralyzed. When we lack clarity, many times, we fail to make the confident decisions that will propel us forward, and we remain stuck.
Clarity is the first step. When the brain fog disappears, we can think about pathways more intentionally and with greater certainty. Clarity helps to build confidence so that we may see how to move forward—at a minimum.
So what are the things we may be confused about most of the time?
Here’s the shortlist:
- I don’t know my purpose
- I’m not sure what I should be doing
- I don’t even know where to start
Perhaps this has been your story. If so, you’re not alone, for it used to be my story too. Nowadays, I take my time getting clear about the first and the next steps. It’s imperative for lasting resolve because there will be difficult days, even on a purposeful journey. Having clarity around what I am doing, why I’m doing it, and the outcome I desire to achieve is paramount in maintaining consistent priorities, focus and energy.
Let me share three simple things you can do to repel confusion and take back the wheel.
- Write. Don’t worry, we are not talking about writing a research paper or anything. This is a free-write. If there is one thing I’m completely certain of is how writing produces clarity almost instantly. Now, what are you writing? Glad you inquired. Get a clean sheet of paper and write out what a perfect lifestyle would be for you. Hear me out: this is not about how much money you would be making, the type of house or car you would have, etc. This is not about the material things. Instead, think deeper. Think about what you love to do and what you would do if you had absolutely no constraints (money, time, education, etc.). Think about the legacy you would like to leave for your children and grandchildren. What is the meaning of life for you? Remember: you’re not considering constraints. You are free to write it all.
- Flip. From your free-write, pull out what you love to do, flip your paper over and answer why. Don’t pick several things at this point. Just pick one (no more than two). What about it is so important to you? What does it add to your life, or will it add to your life that you don’t already have? What if you could start taking steps to move in that direction today? What would that mean to you? You’ve just moved from a broad to a more narrow window. It’s easier to get clear around one or two specific things first.
- Pinpoint. Now that you have pictured the lifestyle and moved toward the thing you love to do, it’s time to pinpoint what is possible in the immediate future. If you could choose one thing that is within your control to do and is realistic for you considering your life circumstances to move you forward toward the thing, what would it be? For example, perhaps you love to paint or draw. To date, it’s a hobby for sparetime, but you would love for it to take more precedence in your life. What’s your why around this? Visualize yourself doing it more often, even creating a supportive lifestyle around it. When others invest in your work, what could that open up for you? What might you do to create more time to do it? What could you tweak, move or eliminate from your schedule?
Pen in hand, slow down. Take the time to lean into what is purposeful and meaningful to you and understand the ask. In other words, understand what God is asking of you? Many times, we’re too busy to understand how to proceed. There is a way forward, but we are not going to understand it or even recognize it if we’re always running around and into everything. Go slow and visualize what God’s plan is for your life. When we have a crisp vision, then we can develop a strategy to move there with wisdom.
Confusion drives fear, but clarity repels it. Get clear. Move forward.
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