In the midst of a transitional time, fuzzy thinking is par for the course. We often feel disoriented or aimless, and our reliable anchor points just aren’t holding.
The clarity we crave during those times has three elements that can serve as access points when we need to see through the fog:
- Perspective. It can come through a change of scenery, exposure to an unfamiliar culture, a new voice into a situation, or a trusted familiar voice reminding us to look at this thing from a different angle — but however it comes, a fresh perspective is usually welcome when we are stuck in our own heads. I appreciate the book Framers for this — what can we do to find a reframe?
- Insight. Sometimes we need more than a list of possible ways to view a situation — we actually need wisdom. That moment of clarity that comes, from ourselves or someone else, and we just know it’s right. Interestingly, these flashes of insight are rarely random. They often require putting ourselves in a situation where we can hear them. Head to the woods or some water. Call a mentor. Read some poetry or a book you’ve always loved. Find a way to connect to your deep knowing.
- Alignment. Find your fixed points and align your decisions to those. Your values and other big decisions you’ve oriented your life choices around can provide the compass you need. On the flip side, making choices that are out of alignment with what’s important to us can contribute to our feelings of being untethered.
One final tip: decide if you need to decide. Sometimes, in a liminal season, there is no decision that needs to be made imminently. So, the clarity we are craving can be even more elusive, because it’s not the right time to nail something down. If there is no decision to be made [yet], then maybe your craving for clarity is actually a calling to sit in curiosity for just a little longer. Ouch.
