Living intentionally requires clarity. When you are clear about what makes you happy, healthy, loving and wonderful, you can be happy, healthy, loving and wonderful.
Imagine a life with less confusion and doubt. Clarity makes everything easier, but getting there requires change and commitment especially if you are busy, distracted and overwhelmed.
If you want to make better decisions, become more trusting, be healthier, and do more meaningful work, try these 10 strategies for absolute clarity.
1. 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 results in brain fog. You can’t work effectively or live thoughtfully in chaos. Clear the clutter and reset to zeroat least once a week.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Get quiet.
Set aside a few minutes to get quiet and/or meditate every day. Even just 5 minutesis enough to remove mental chatter and internal distractions.
7. 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.
8. 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.
- Cut out sugar, coffee, and alcohol for 30 days.
- Create your own quest or experiment with inspiration from The Happiness of Pursuit,a wonderful book by Chris Guillebeau.
9. Put your ass where your heart wants to be.
Steven Pressfield says, “That’s the trick and there is nothing more to it. Shut up and get into the studio. Once your physical envelope is standing before the easel, your heart and mind will follow.If you want to write, plant your backside in front of the typewriter. Sooner or later your fingers will settle onto the keys. Not long after that, I promise, the goddess will slip invisibly but powerfully into the room.”
10. Always challenge your never.
What if our nevers are what we want most, but because we don’t want to be hurt, or fail or expose ourselves to disappointment, we keep them in the never file?As soon as you think, “I could never do that” or “I could never go without this” challenge your nevers. They are usually exactly what you need for absolute clarity.
Simplicity comes with amazing benefits and absolute clarity is at the top of the list. With clarity you know what your body needs, and what your heart wants, and how to deliver.
Want clarity? Remove the excess, the distractions, and every other unimportant, unnecessary thing. Get light. Get clear on what matters by getting rid of everything that doesn’t.
