Clarity
So many times we think that we have a lack of ambition or motivation, but what really is happening is we lack clarity. We talk about the end goal with no understanding of our current habits and how they help or hinder us from progress. We don’t have the awareness to see what our automatic actions, and that blindness can crush clarity in an instant. By not seeing that your habit you do everyday is causing an adverse effect because it’s part of your routine, you are unable to change it. That is why practicing mindfulness in your routine is helpful.
How do you wake up everyday? You could make a list of what your morning routine looks like. Every detail of what you do write it down. Then you can do a positive, negative, or neutral list on that. What does this mean? Well neutral could be like wake up, its something that is neither positive or negative, or something you don’t change. But a negative could be like you are eating something processed and unhealthy. And a positive is that you get up and work out. Figure out what each part of your routine means to you, what are your goals? Do you just want to be consistent with the same routine? Or do you want to add something new? Do you want to drop some habit. Just remember that being mindful about the things you want to change or implement will allow you to consciously make it a priority and something you want to do.
Many times I thought I lacked motivation or drive, but it was because I didn’t have the clarity to see which actions I needed to take to get to my goal. I knew the end result but I wasn’t aware how my actions, thoughts and feelings were getting in the way of me achieving this. I would sometimes go through cycles of thoughts, and now I catch them when I have them. I ask myself, “how is this serving me to get to my goal?” It’s hard, especially in the beginning trying to gain clarity of yourself. Because being mindful when you are just doing something automatically is like trying to remember to take a deep breath when you have just been shallow breathing.
How can you gain clarity on something? Baby steps. Unsure of where to go in life? Well look at everything you love doing, everything you dislike, and things that are neutral. Let’s say you like puzzles, maybe you are artistic as well and like music. Maybe you like technology a lot. Maybe this could lead you down a road of working in a music studio or music therapy to help others. Maybe all your experience as a manager will allow you to run the show or open your own business. You never know what job right now will assist you in the future. Also when trying to gain clarity on this know your strengths and weaknesses. If you know you hate customer service, then a career avoiding service to people might be something you do. If you love working with animals, then perhaps research the different animal based careers out there. The way you figure out what you want is by diving into what you know. Look at yourself and be honest about things.
Over these past few months I have been gaining clarity on what I really want. I thought that the existential crisis was about changing careers, but when I looked at the heart of the matter it was about the next step in my career. Many times we aren’t looking to change what we have and know, we are looking to expand upon it. Maybe more education, maybe expanding a business. Maybe taking on a new role in that career. These are the things I have been contemplating for a while. But I have allowed fear and old patterns of doubt and worth push me to try to find an easy way out. I try to justify those patterns because they are automatic, instead now I am mindful of them. I see how my feelings and thoughts play into them. And have been learning to stop them in their tracks.
How can you find clarity for yourself? Do you have goals you are trying to achieve? Why not start there? Look at the steps in your system, maybe there are things that are negatively effecting it without you seeing it. Sometimes when we are looking for something we don’t see it right in front of us. Same can go for negative habits. You don’t realize that eating that peanut butter sandwich in the morning is the cause of you adding more weight instead of losing it. Learn the steps you need in order to reach your goals, and once you have that you will be more effective in your system.
As promised here’s the finished project from the other day!!
Today I was at an 8!