One thing that I have learned lately is just how important clarity is. Clarity in purpose, clarity in message, clarity in focus. Once you have had clarity in your life, it is really annoying to get all cloudy and murky again. It is like this, you have not cleaned your windows of your house in years. They really do not look that bad you tell yourself. Then one day, you finally have someone clean them. The next day you say to yourself, wow! The outside looks beautiful with clean windows. I had no idea how dirty they were! Then whenever a slight smudge appears on the windows you are quick to clean it off. You have now seen clarity and you want to keep it going.
This is how it is in life. When you see things for what they are, or have someone clearly explain it to you, you suddenly have this lens by which to view things. It is fresh and new again. The perspective is inspiring. You have achieved clarity. Then slowly the clouds come in, your parade gets rained on and the flowers go dormant once again. You are in the fall, then the winter. You hope for one day the Spring to come and perhaps, just perhaps you can have clarity again.
I am starting to realize that we actually have more control over this then we realize. You see we can invite Aunt Clarity to come and live with us whenever we want. The problem is that we just do not want to like Aunt Clarity because she makes us uncomfortable. She cannot keep her mouth shut. She will not leave the skeleton in the closet. She will not stop pointing out the obvious problem. Aunt Clarity will not allow me to lay around on the couch acting all cloudy and moody. She forces me to do things that I know I should but that I just do not want to. However, once Aunt Clarity has been around for awhile, I get used to her. The wart on her nose seems to fade and what I thought was an ugly truth, now becomes a refreshing beauty in my life. I am glad now that Aunt Clarity has come for a visit.
So how do we invite Aunt Clarity to come for a visit? Unfortunately it is not an easy invitation. You all know that Aunt Clarity is going to have a giant list of strings attached to the acceptance of her invitation. Begging is not good enough, you are going to have some work to do. Here are some things to consider when wanted to invite Aunt Clarity back into your life:
1. You have to make room for her. This is the big one, Aunt Clarity takes a lot of space in your life. She requires moving her entire ensemble into your residence, your work, your car, your schedule. In order for Aunt Clarity to even consider hanging out with you again, you are just simply going to have to make room. Start by clearing out a lot of clutter. Clear out any loose ends, shutdown several projects, remove a few responsibilities from your life where you can. This will take some work, and it is not a simple process. However, the benefit is that once you have cleared some space, then Aunt Clarity is much more likely to entertain moving in with you again.
2. You have to make time for her. Aunt Clarity loves her tea, but not for the hint of flowers and dirt with a mix of honey. She loves the chats that she gets to have with you as you quietly sip tea in the backyard, in the kitchen, or in your office. She wants peace and quiet an uninterrupted time to talk things out, contemplate matters fully and have time to explore your motivations. If you are unwilling to take some time out of your day, at least once per day, for quiet time with Aunt Clarity then forget it. She will not come.
3. Get ready to draw some pictures. Aunt Clarity is an artist at heart. She loves to draw and more importantly, she loves to see you draw. She wants you to let your emotions run free and paint vivid landscapes and still life that demonstrates the state that you are currently in. Can you create a visualization of the way your life is and the way you want your life to be? Aunt Clarity loves to paint pictures and visualize what you should be focused on. Go buy the necessary tools and set yourself up for some fun visualization sessions. To really make Aunt Clarity happy, get ready to visualize.
4. Make room for the new rules. Aunt Clarity has this annoying habit of placing her new house rules in a highly visible spot for all to read. She refers to them frequently and often and might make everyone in your household repeat them. You will find them posted on your computer, in your car, on the front door of your house and in your office. Once Aunt Clarity knows what your goals are in life, expect them to be in your face. So you might as well decide now, where you are going to have her put them. Clear the wall space.
5. Get ready for early morning walks. Aunt Clarity gets up early. She is always bustling around the house making all sorts of racket. She does this on purpose and you know it. She is trying to convince you to get out of bed, to stop thinking so much and just get started. Her oft repeated phases are…”any goal is better than no goal” and “how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” When you are worried about this and that she will stick a broom in your hand and say, well you might as well sweep the floor while you are thinking about it. She will constantly be trying to push you out the door, always encouraging you to get on the path.
If you want clarity in your life, you need to take responsibility for it and take decisive action. Clarity does not happen by accident, it does not fall from the tree, it does not come as a light from heaven, it comes into your life as you prepare and make room in your life for its presence.
Guy Reams (597)
