The Power of Clarity

If I asked you to describe your ideal day, could you do it in detail? It sounds like an obvious question but the answer is only clear when you have given yourself sufficient time to find the answer. The answer cannot be sourced on Google, Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook (that’s everybody else’s curated lifestyle). Generally, we have identified goals that create the roadmap for our days and years but have you stopped to ask yourself if this is your goal or are you trying to please someone else? That someone else can be the ‘you’ of 5 years ago and now your priorities have shifted but you haven’t sat down long enough on your own to catch up to this fact.Never mind our goals changing from 5 years ago to now, what about how they have shifted in the last month alone? Covid-19 has forced us to re-evaluate every aspect of our lives, specifically how we think about our priorities.Quarantine has provided us with the opportunity to bring a new meaning to the concept of lifestyle design. It seems that we have been in survival mode learning on the go how to adapt and adjust to this new world. I want to offer you a powerful tool to help you make sense of this and really offer much needed perspective, guidance and truly bring out your inner mentor.I have written about journaling before but seeing as we are in new times, it’s time to bring it back with fresh eyes. Journaling has been a powerful tool for me for many years, I used to think it served me only when I needed it if I was feeling stuck. What I have come to realise is that it’s up there with oxygen. It gives me clarity, focus and an outlet to really understand myself better. When you know yourself, it makes decision making easier because you are clear on what matters to you and what energises you. Why does this matter? Because then it makes it much easier to say no to the things that contract you instead of expand you.Let’s go back to the first question of lifestyle design. Start by asking yourself the question ‘What would my ideal day look like?’ This is a brilliant prompt to start with if journaling is new to you or if you feel awkward writing. Personally I think it is less about writing and more about spending time with yourself not distracted by technology. This question of the ideal day makes you understand where you want to spend your time, with who, on what tasks and what energises you. A key part of lifestyle design is how you want to feel at the end of each day.If you are currently feeling overwhelmed, stressed and out of balance – then this is a great place to start to shift that. Most of us want to end the day feeling content, accomplished, energised and joyful. If there is a huge discrepancy between these states, ask yourself why...What are you spending your time on that drains you? Or an even better question is who are you spending your time with that drains you?If your ideal day looks nothing like your current day – again this is brilliant feedback. Perhaps you have a book inside you or you love to paint and create artwork. Are you creating space in the day for these passion projects? Even if it is not your goal to do this professionally – purely for your own creative expression and enjoyment. You can’t have the mind-set that ‘one day’ when I make enough money, when I am out of lockdown, when life resumes to normal, only then I can start to take time for the activities I love. It is the other way around; you need these activities now in order to energise yourself to propel you towards the goals that really matter.The way to design your ideal life begins with taking charge of your calendar. Once you know the activities you want to include and equally eject from your days – use your calendar to allocate the appropriate slots to. You can’t wake up and then figure out these things. If it gets scheduled, it gets done – everything from life to business goals.If your ideal day includes a path or career you don’t have the skills for – again, amazing feedback and an opportunity to course correct. Write down in your journal – what are the core skills I need to develop in order to achieve my goal? Perhaps you are in your ideal career but realise you could brush up on industry skills to make you unbeatable. For example sales skills, negotiation, interpersonal communication, etc. then allocate time in your calendar for learning and acquiring these skills.Another powerful prompt for journaling is to plan ahead as best you can under the circumstances. What do you think the future of your industry looks like? Do you need to pivot your business or strategy to adapt? What do your clients need? What do they want to hear? What can you do to ensure your team remains positive and charged?At its core, journaling provides the opportunity for you to have an honest discussion with yourself. Ask yourself ‘Have I been showing up as the best version of myself? If not, what changes can I start to implement? If you can’t be honest with yourself, it is very difficult to create change.Clarity brings personal power because when you know what you want and you have a plan to achieve it, you create progress. It is progress over time that energises us. We cannot expect anyone or anything to ignite us. It is being aligned to your purpose with consistent action and progress that will enable you to create the life you want.All it takes is 15 minutes, a pen and paper...Here’s to creating your ideal life,Warm wishesLori