Clarity is Overrated.
Posted on February 07, 2019 by Elias Ursitti, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
This article encourages you to value both clarity AND confusion.
When I was completing my coach training, we each drew little angel cards out of a hat with various virtues and qualities written on them. The card that I drew was “Clarity.” I was thrilled and thought, “This is perfect, clarity is just what I’ve been looking for!”
Since then, I’ve realized that clarity is a lot like happiness. If you try to pursue it as an objective, it remains highly elusive. I have learned to appreciate moments of clarity when they come. When I feel a true moment of clarity, I do what author Rick Hanson suggests, and I really soak in the feeling for 10-15 seconds to help my neurons build new pathways and patterns.
On the other hand, my real personal growth has come in terms of my relationship to ambiguity, uncertainty, and confusion. I used to abhor these conditions and did whatever I could to move away from them, because they are so uncomfortable. However, I now believe that feeling deep confusion is to be handled with equal dignity, respect, and appreciation as feeling clarity.
When I feel confused and don’t see a way forward, I sit with the confusion and really try to consciously feel all the uncomfortable facets of the confusion in my body and brain. I know that deep down under the confusion, there is the possibility of learning and realization, and also the seed for a future moment of deep clarity.
When I pay close attention to the feelings of confusion, I find that the sensation inside me becomes less solid, and it loosens its grip on me much quicker than when I fight those sensations. I know that I cannot fully experience joy if I suppress feelings of pain, and I also know that clarity and confusion have a similar relationship.
What do you normally do when you feel confused, frustrated, and stuck? I invite you to think of these moments as the call to evolve. A breakthrough is almost always around the corner if you treat the condition of confusion with attention, respect, and curiosity.
Learn more at www.littlebearcoaching.net
