Clarity Comes from the Smallest Action

Clarity comes from action.

That’s what we’re always saying, isn’t it?

All the bigwigs, those wise people we love to quote and follow repeat this truth to us.

Clarity comes from action.

It does not come from overthinking.

It does not come from over planning.

And it does not come from waiting for it to come.

It comes, simply and difficultly, from action.

How can something be both simple and difficult?

Allow me to explain.

About two years ago, I had no idea what business I was starting. Literally, truly, honestly, I had no freaking idea. So I sat around a lot and planned a lot and thought a lot, and I was constantly foggy, unclear, confused, and overwhelmed by the amount of possibilities that awaited me. The business could go soooooo many different ways. There were sooooo many different things I could see myself doing, I could potentially enjoy doing, I could be good at doing. Did I even want a business at all?

And so I stayed stuck. Stuck in possibilities. And because I was stuck, I kept thinking, longer and harder, trying to get myself unstuck.

Thoughts are the most overwhelming things in the world.

Have you ever had that day that’s just so BLEGH that you don’t even know what to do with yourself? That kind of day where you have a million things you could be doing, that you maybe even plan on doing, and yet you can’t seem to get yourself to do anything? You binge watch on Netflix. You get upset at yourself. And yet you binge some more. You eat crappy food. You avoid friend’s phone calls. You put off all the really urgent things – like resolving that gas bill and calling your mom – and then at the end of the day, you didn’t think it was possible but here you are and it happened, you feel worse than when you started.

You know that kind of day?

Right, me, too.

So let’s look at it a bit more closely?

Firstly, what are you actually doing in this situation? What’s happening here for you?

You watch Netflix. You wash the dishes. You walk the dog. You eat some Skittles. You clean up your apartment. You write a fourth draft of that same blog post. You spend some time on Pinterest searching weddings. You spend some time on Pinterest searching quotes. You spend some time on Pinterest searching how to make money with your blog, with freelancing, with an Etsy shop, with coaching, with online courses, with llamas.

Nothing is really happening, right? It’s a day full of a whole lot of nothing. You’re thinking, feeling, avoiding thinking and feeling, and just generally not taking any real, committed action.

Okay, so that all stinks, but what is it that happens that actually starts helping you feel better? Does it descend on you from above? Or do you make it happen? (I’m going to guess the latter…) Whether it was that day or a week later, what is it that helped you get out of that funk?

Action. Action is what helped you get out of that funk. Even when you didn’t want to take action, something forced your hand, whether it was yourself or something in your work or your schedule, and you took action, however small.

And finally, what is it that’s really happening here? Why on earth did you start binge watching Netflix and avoiding work and the bills and doing anything at all if you were only going to beat yourself up for it a few minutes later? What started you down that spiral in the first place.

Too much to do.

Fear.

Not caring.

Not believing.

Because you felt overwhelmed. Okay. But why did you feel overwhelmed? Because you’ve got so many thoughts, feelings, emotions, going on and not enough action to offset it. You’re stressing out but you’re not helping yourself – allowing yourself – to alleviate it in any way. Instead you’re just piling more possibilities and more inaction – aka more stress – on top of it. You felt overwhelmed because you were stuck, but because you’re staying stuck, you’re getting even more overwhelmed.

There’s always a moment in this whole ordeal where it feels like you’ll never feel the same again.

There’s that moment of despair that you’re stuck, fear that you’ll always feel this way or, worse, get worse.

There’s that moment of anger, at yourself and at those who haven’t been able to help you, and then at yourself again for thinking others could or should help you.

There’s that moment of utter sadness.

There’s that moment of giving up, who cares anymore, just put on another episode, it doesn’t matter anyway.

But there’s always a moment at the end where you look back at the ordeal, after you’ve taken action, gotten even the slightest bit clearer and less stressed, and gained some perspective on your situation, where you realize how simple the situation could have been.

But the scary part about being in this situation is that while you’re in it, it can be impossible to see your way out of it.

It’s stuck in the extreme. And maybe, it’ll always be like this.

How could it be any different? If you’ve never been able to do something epic before, if you’ve never been able to succeed make your dreams work, communicate, whatever it is before, how could you ever hope to do it in the future?

Maybe you’ll always be stuck.

But that moment of clarity is coming, my dear.

And you will never go back to the past as long as you continue looking to the future.

What does that mean? It means simply this:

Though you’ve never been able to do it before, you will be able to do it in the future.

Because every day you live, you move farther and farther away from your past, even if it doesn’t always feel that way.

The present often feels as horrible as the past because it’s our bodies’ only understanding. The past is all it’s ever experienced.

But know, believe, that clarity is around the corner. Breathe through those terrible moments, let them wash over you and through you and right out of you when you’re ready for that overwhelm, confusion, utter fear and despair to pass.

Because on the other side of that really, really big low, that really huge stuck, is literally enormous ups and fantastic clarity.

And it all starts with the smallest action.

Get moving….

P.S. I know action can be terrifying, and the most overwhelming part, sometimes, is figuring out what it even should be. Trust me, I get it. I’ve been there. And there’s nothing I would love more than to help you find some clarity.

If you think starting a creative business might be in your future but you have no idea where to start, if you’re just overwhelmed and ready to move forward but have no clue what that might look like, maybe it’s time for a bit of loving support.

Join me on a complementary Power Call, and let’s work it out together.

It’s time for a bit of clarity…