“I feel stuck.
I don’t know what I want.
I don’t know what my priorities are.
I don’t know what my goals in life are.
I don’t know how to move forward.
I don’t know what steps to take to find more peace and happiness in my life.”
Do any of those thoughts come up for you?
The answers are rooted within clarity.
Clarity is the root of change and progress.
[To listen to my podcast on the #1 Habit to Gain More Clarity in your Life - head here http://bit.ly/CHANGEbyCHOICEpodcast]
I’ve gone through times in my life where I’ve swept things under the rug and just hoped and wished that what I was doing was going to get me to a place where I was a little bit happier, a little more successful, a little more fulfilled.
The problem was that I wasn’t taking necessary, intentional steps to do so. I was hoping that I was going to land somewhere, but that’s not enough.
Moving yourself forward in a meaningful, intentional way...in a way that’s actually going to WORK, it starts with having a solid understanding as to who you are, what your priorities are, what you want from life and where you’re headed.
That’s clarity.
So - how do we get more clarity in our lives?
The number 1 habit you need to start incorporating into your life to gain that clarity is journaling.
Journaling can be super intimidating, especially if it’s something you’ve never done before. I’ve had times where I’ve sat down for 10 or 20 minutes, and not written anything down. It’s so challenging when you’re starting because the inner dialogue is always “I don’t know what to write about”.
It takes practice, so I’m going to give you a few tips on getting started.
Tip 1 - Carve out the time to do it. Even if you start with 5 minutes per day.
Tip 2 - Be consistent. Things don’t change overnight, but with consistency you will start to see a momentum shift and things start to change over time. With that being said, be sure to give yourself grace at the same time. There is no perfect way to do this process and you will have days that you forget, you just can’t write anything down] or you just don’t do it. There’s nothing wrong with that - just coach yourself to get back on track.
Tip 3 - Restructure the relationship you have with the things that make you feel badly. When situations come up in your life that are negative and just don’t make you feel great, acknowledge them and your feelings, and then start to shift your mindset. Start to view those situations more objectively - they are simply sources of information. You now know something you didn’t know before...you have new insight upon which you can make new choices. The information you are being handed is the information you need to move yourself forward and make better choices.
So, you’ve started journaling consistently and you’re receiving all of this valuable information.
Now what?
I go through a 3 step process in order to reach clarity. For every thing that comes up, especially the things that aren’t positive, these are the questions to ask yourself:
Is this something I can accept? I will no longer complain about it and I am okay with it being the way that it is, and I feel truly confident in that decision.
Is this something I can potentially get rid of? I can’t make the change overnight, but I am going to start to work towards making a change. This is not something I can accept, but I can’t just immediately cut it out.
Is this something I can eliminate from my life NOW? It is absolutely not serving me and I am able to cut it immediately. I am opening myself up to new, amazing things to enter my life.
The last piece to this puzzle comes down the questions you are asking yourself. Are you asking yourself the right questions in order to get the correct data to move yourself forward and get the information that you truly need? Asking yourself questions that go beyond “what did I do today” is key. Be specific in your questions and in your reflection of the day.
What made me feel most fulfilled and happy today?
What left me feeling most stressed and why?
What am I most grateful for today?
What am I looking forward to the most today?
I’m developing a free journaling guide for you, with guided questions you can ask yourself, morning and night, to help you with your journaling. So keep your eyes open for that!
I’ll leave you with this...
Journaling takes practice. And it’s not going to produce big changes overnight. But if you want more clarity in your life and you’re tired of feeling stuck, then you need to give yourself the time and the space to reflect and to analyze those areas that need the attention.
Avoidance doesn’t solve anything. Try to incorporate this daily habit of journaling into your life and see what happens.
[For this Podcast Episode, “The #1 Habit to Gain More Clarity in your Life” and to subscribe to my podcast - head here ]
