Confusion 101: What Is Clarity?

We all want more clarity in life: about what we want, our next steps to take, and what to do or not. Even when we know what we want and what to do, some more clarity couldn’t possibly hurt.

So, what is clarity?

First things first. Does clarity mean knowing everything? Not really.

Clarity is not the same as certainty or safety.

But, with clarity, we can see crystal clear.

But what is it that we see?

A great metaphor here we talked about a couple of weeks ago is to see an image reflecting on a lake. Today we bring another twist to it.

Let’s say there’s a house in front of the lake.

And, if the lake is calm, we can see it well. We can see it has two stories, four windows, and the lights are on. It is a clear vision.

But the more disturbance there is in the water, the more waves, the less we get to see. If there’s a thunderstorm we cannot see anything at all. In other words, because of the disturbances, we don’t get a clear vision.

Yet, disturbance or no disturbance, the house is always there. It’s only a matter o whether you can see it, or not.

In other words, what you want, your dreams, your longings, your purpose, your vision, they all exist no matter what.

What you truly want is already inside of you. It’s only a matter if you can see it — or not.

If you cannot see it, are you willing to quiet the disturbances of your own mind? And if so, is this really enough for you – or do you need more?

Clarity vs Safety

Even if you see the answer to your contemplation clearly, it doesn’t mean that you know how to get there. It also doesn’t mean that by going for it, you will succeed. And that’s ok! There is no such thing as certainty, ever.

External safety is the greatest of illusions. Many people who say they are confused are not looking for clarity, but for safety, because guess what? Their confusion is actually fear in disguise. They are scared of the work required, of the life changes, of failure, and of what others will say.

If you need total safety in order to go for what you want, you are in big trouble.

Clarity doesn’t mean certainty, safety, or success.

Even when we are clear, we still need to work, we still need the courage to move forward. That’s why many people say they are confused: because once you admit you know what you want, there’s nothing between you and taking action — and most people dread taking the actions required to change their lives.

Deep down when we say we are confused, what we actually mean is that we are scared, because it’s not clarity we are looking for, it is safety. And that doesn’t exist.

This makes the whole process tricky, because we think we want one thing (clarity) when deep down we want another (safety). To make things worse, we want safety to beat our fears, which is the one of the major components that creates disturbances in the water reflection that doesn’t allow us to see the image clearly in the first place. See the loop we find ourselves in?

So clarity can come in many ways and it probably will not come in the way you expect it and want it to be.

Still, clarity shows you the way, and puts you on a journey of becoming, of unfolding your potential, of creating the life of your dreams – which requires taking action.

If you only take one thing only from this article today, this is the most important piece:

Clarity brings you a huge strength which is the ability to trust yourself and bet on yourself.

Acting on clarity requires you to trust yourself. This is where the safety of clarity comes from: being safe in yourself, and finding your own ground within yourself. Knowing who you are and what you want. Most of the time, this is all we need.

“I love my creative life more than I love cooperating with my own oppression.” Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Clarity Brings Coherence

Clarity is more than seeing clearly: clarity requires coherence. To make sense of what we see, we are able to create a clear narrative of what we are going towards.

This is what allows us to create a process or a supportive structure to create our vision.

Now, the structure can change, and the coherence can also change as we gather new pieces of the puzzle, as we move forward.

Still, there’s some kind of coherence, in making sense of it. Coherence allows for direction to come, action, and transformation.

Clarity and structure walk hand-in-hand. It’s not an overwhelming structure that becomes an end itself, but a supportive structure that gives us a roadmap.

Clarity = Self-Connection + Self-Acceptance

Clarity is a marriage of self-connection with self-acceptance.

It takes knowing yourself to be able to see what is already inside of you.

It takes accepting yourself to embrace what you want. It’s not uncommon for people to know what they want, but at the same time, they tell themselves that what they want is silly, too difficult, and impossible.

We judge and downplay ourselves all the time!

And how can we possibly get clarity and go for what we want if we cannot even take a stand with ourselves, and affirm what we want?

Acknowledging what you want is the first crucial step for clarity to emerge. Without accepting yourself, you fog your own lenses.

I believe we all have unlimited potential, and getting clarity is a crucial step for you to unfold your potential and create the life of your dreams.

Are you ready to get clarity, take action, and take command of your life?

If you can’t honor the relationship, then be honest with yourself and get out of the relationship, with the utmost respect. We are here to give and to receive, to help and be helped. When you are to receive support in your path, by all beings open yourself up fully to it. This is in itself a great part of the teaching. Life is nothing but a book full of metaphors for our progression, the teacher-student relationship is one of them, carrying its own boost and power.