How To Get Clarity and Make Important Decisions

“The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it.”—J.M. Barrie

Life is complicated. We are all dealing with an enormous amount internally and externally, personally and societally.

Getting "clarity" for most people is a faint wish. What even is clarity? How do you get it? And why should it matter?

From a motivation standpoint, it's difficult to be motivated unless you're clear on where you want to go and clear on how you'll get there. From a "hope" perspective, it's nearly impossible to have hope unless you see a future you want, and believe there is a path to getting there.

A crucial aspect of clarity, then, is ultimately deciding what you want. Then, you must decide how you're going to get it. You must also decide what in your life needs changing. Where you need to place your focus.

The Clarity Field Guide

Source: Benj Miller and Chris White

It is for these reasons that I was very excited to read The Clarity Field Guide: The Answers No One Else Can Give You by Benj Miller and Chris White. They are both busy and successful entrepreneurs who have started multiple companies and actively train entrepreneurs on how to be more successful. They co-host the popular Tractionville™ podcast.

The structure of the book was very different from most books I've read about getting clarity and making decisions. This book is about 20 pages of introductory material, setting expectations, and helping you approach the questions with the right frame of mind. Then, there are nearly 100 questions with a full page of blank space to fill out the answer. Here is a small sampling of the questions:

• What is the most important idea to ponder today?
• How can I change my perspective?
• What does success look like for me?
• What is on my bucket list?
• What does my dream workday look like? Could I make that every day?
• If a recession comes in the next three years, what will I wish I had done now?
• What are the important risks our company faces, and what should I do about them?
• What do I fear being asked?
• In what ways is my business unable to grow beyond me? What should I do about that?
• Am I giving all areas of my life appropriate energy?

I enjoyed this book because it was mostly a journal, but with some nice material and framework to give me something to think about. I also liked that I could ultimately answer the questions in whatever order I wanted. Some of the questions didn't resonate or seem to relate. But others really stuck out to me.

The Crucial Importance of Journaling

Write it down, watch it happen.

Source: Gapingvoid

“Keeping a personal journal a daily in-depth analysis and evaluation of your experiences is a high-leverage activity that increases self-awareness and enhances all the endowments and the synergy among them.”—Dr. Stephen R. Covey

There is obviously a great deal of science to back up the idea of journaling. Several research studies have found that writing in your journal reduces stress. These benefits include:

• Reducing scatter in your life
• Increased focus
• Greater stability
• A deeper level of learning, order, action, and release
• Holding thoughts still so they can be changed and integrated
• Releasing pent-up thoughts and emotions
• Empowerment
• Bridging inner thinking with outer events
• Detaching and letting go of the past
• Allowing you to re-experience the past with today’s adult mind

Taking time by yourself with pen and pad to simply think through some hard questions. If you're not taking the time to talk with yourself and organize your thinking, then your thought-processes will remain muddled and confused.

Many people wake up and immediately check their phone or email. In spare seconds, we hop on Facebook and check the newsfeed. We’ve become addicted to input. On the other hand, Josh Waitzkin, author of The Art of Learning, wakes up and immediately writes in his journal for 30 minutes.

Unconscious Essential Reads

How the Unconscious Mind Guides Our Behavior

Human See, Human Do: We Imitate, Even if Others Dislike It

He does this because while he’s been sleeping, his subconscious mind has been brewing, scheming, problem-solving, and learning. So when Josh wakes up, he rushes to a quiet place and engages in a burst of intellectual and creative flow.

Creators focus on outputs rather than the general populace who focus on inputs. In their free moments, creators utilize their subconscious breakthroughs. Their days are filled with creative bursts, making them incredible at their craft.

If you want to have more creative flow in your life, stop checking your social media and email so much. Check them once or twice per day. Detach from the addiction to numb your mind and escape reality. Instead, get lost in the creative projects you’ve always wanted to do.

Conclusion

I personally found The Clarity Field Guide to be a useful and powerful way to journal on some important questions I either haven't before considered, or simply to reflect on questions which are always important to come back to.

Whatever form of journaling and reflection you go with, please do it. Give yourself some time, even 10-20 minutes per day to write in your journal. This will allow you to manage your emotions and organize your thinking. To me, journaling is the ultimate form of meditation. If you're not taking the time to do it, then your clarity and emotions will not be clear. This will lead to reactive behavior and poor decision making.