‘Our visions are the world we imagine, the tangible results of what the world would look like if we spent every day in pursuit of our WHY.’ Simon Sinek
How are you feeling right now?
Do you feel full of passion and purpose as you work towards your goals or do you feel stuck, a little lost and unclear about the direction you should take? And maybe it’s not even that you’re failing to take action, you’re doing lots of things but you can’t seem to make progress.
If you’re struggling then perhaps it’s because you don’t yet have the level of clarity you need to navigate your way forward. If you’re thinking ‘I’ll just let clarity come to me’ you risk staying on that hamster wheel of frustration or worse, ending up where you definitely don’t want to be.
You see, in order to maximise your chances of creating a life that feels great, fills you with purpose and aligns with your values, you have to know what you want. Perhaps you think you do but it doesn’t hurt to check in periodically. Take the time to reflect on what’s working or not working, what feels right and what may be a compromise too far. After all, your desires and circumstances change as you move through life and having a clear picture of what you’re trying to achieve is key to success.
So how do you find clarity?
It helps to look inward whether that’s through reflection or meditation, take the time to pause and listen in and one effective tool that you can use is journaling. It can help you clear your mind by offloading all the thoughts, feelings or worries you may have running around in your head. Putting it on paper can help you identify those things that are holding you back and weighing you down. Once the rubbish is cleared out you’re free to focus on what you truly want to bring into your life. Taking just a few minutes to journal every day can be a launchpad to creating a compelling vision of your future.
So get a pen and some paper and put aside as little as ten minutes and you can choose to do it at the end of your day, the beginning or both. Are you ready to start clearing away the mental clutter and get on the path to clarity? Here are 10 powerful prompts that can help.
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What are my core values? (The things that truly matter to me, for example, family, health, financial security, etc.)
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How do I feel right now and how do I want to feel in those areas of my life that matter? (physically, emotionally….)
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What are the little moments day to day that bring me happiness and joy?
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Who are 3 people I am most grateful for right now?
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What does my ideal day look like?(what am I doing, where am I and who am I with?)
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What’s standing in the way of that happiness? What’s holding me back or draining my energy? What do I need to give up, say no to, or let go of?
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What are the thoughts or limiting beliefs I hold that are standing in the way?
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What would I be doing if money, time or what people thought didn’t hold me back?
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What is a short-term goal I believe I can achieve that is a step in that direction?
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What small action can I take this week towards that goal?
Remember being stuck is a state of mind
Wherever you are right now, believe that you are never truly stuck. Why? Because as Dave Evans and Bill Burnett put it in their gem of a book, you’re never stuck because you can always generate many ideas to explore. The possibilities are limitless but it starts with asking useful questions to flush them out. The prompts listed above will trigger that process.
You don’t have to remain stuck and confused. You have the power to change your situation and your life. By gaining clarity you can start to make decisions that move you in the direction of the life you want to create. Start a journal today and be amazed by the insights that come.
Now over to you.
What tools do you use to help you gain clarity?
Let me know in the comments.