Have you ever had an aha moment that feels just like the sun bursting through the clouds, a wide blue sky suddenly opened up for you? I have. And I’ve seen my life coaching clients faces brighten with the same experience.

One of my joys as a life and career coach is to teach my clients how to create the conditions for having clarity moments just like that sun break. I’d like to do the same for you right now. You see, clarity can’t be forced. The more you try to battle you way through a decision, the slower the process becomes. The clouds grow stormy and competing wind currents leave you damp and defeated.

Photo by Wonderland, shared via Flickr

Photo by Wonderland, shared via Flickr

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four Steps to Create Clarity Conditions:

  1. Resource yourself. You know how the story goes. The busier and more stressed you feel, the less you practice self-care. This is one way we sabotage our own clarity, literally draining the very fuel we need to spark the aha moment. So, despite everything, invest in caring for yourself.
  2. Be open and curious. One of the benefits of good self-care is we tend to relax and feel more expansive. This mindset is imperative for clarity. Researchers tell us that being curious helps us to connect with creative thinking, giving us new insight. Instead of trying to strain for a solution to your current problem, come up with as many interesting questions as you can. Especially when you feel anxious or stuck.
  3. Do something (anything) different. Take a new route to work, sit in a new place in the room, learn to do something fun that you have never tried before, talk to people you don’t know, try a new recipe… Insights often come when we are busy focusing on something other than our problem. I suspect this frees up the intuitive part of the brain to push through (like the sun through the clouds) the fog of the conscious mind to offer the gift of clarity.
  4. Get support. This doesn’t have to come from a professional like me (although I am here to help if needed). Talk to smart, interested people about your decision or dilemma, like a detective gathering clues. Listen for their ideas and see what really resonates with you. But, no matter what, avoid naysayers, negativity brewers or fear mongers. They will mess your clarity weather all up!

I hope these tips are helpful for you. They come from over ten years of experience with several hundred coaching clients!