What does it mean to be clear in the midst of not knowing? What does this have to do with realizing our purpose? Everything. 

Many people come to coaching seeking clarity. So many of us assume that clarity will feel like certainty, yet clarity is most alive when surrendering to what’s unknown. Fear and doubt are also hunkered down in the unknown, waiting for us. 

For me, fear and doubt manifest as confusion. I get confused when I’m really not. I pretend I need more clarity when I’m right at the edge of what I know is true and what I must do. But I want the certainty I can’t have. This creates an internal pressure to get something done. As though completion and ticking the box will bring the security and certainty that my anxious system is begging for. It’s a ‘hurry up and get there’ kind of feeling. It’s in my head and the upper part of my body and it abandons wisdom and trust for the promise of a sure thing. Enter paralyses. Or busyness and a hurried mind in the territory that is familiar and comfortable. 

Taking my time feels brave. It’s brave for me to trust in time because it feels like we’re running out of it. From the burning planet to the pace of change, the urgency that is surging in our collective sphere threatens to whip us all up into a frenzy. This energy itself kills our ability to choose and move with conscious intention and deep wisdom. Hurry up and get somewhere has us pretending that we’re in charge and that certainty is possible. Leading from the unknown asks us to imagine what we will need to be capable of to meet the future that’s coming. 

This is currently what is at the heart of my work. My own work within myself and my work in the world. What does it take to be anchored in our deepest wisdom and to move with conscious intention from that place, especially when we are not certain? What do we choose to focus on, care for, attend to and make happen when we truly take our time? This inquiry is where clarity lives. Not clarity like the right answers or the sure thing. People will sell you right answers and sure things at every kyosk on every corner of the internet. Those promises might soothe doubt in the moment but they cannot be fulfilled. 

What’s both scary and exciting about the times we’re in is that we just don’t know. What was done before is not what’s needed now. What worked yesterday probably won’t work tomorrow. So if what’s at the heart of your work, within yourself and out in the world, centers around creating change, then there aren’t right answers or tried and true paths for you either.

I think the best shot we’ve got at having an impact at the level and depth we’re truly seeking, is to move from our own wise and clear center in the midst of the unknown with absolutely no promise that it’ll work.

Confusion Doubt Fear Life's Purpose Make an impact Unknown Urgency