Clarity

Life is busy. We keep track of dozens of different ideas, projects and responsibilities. Work, family, hobbies, taxes, politics, sports, health and planning for the future all compete for our attention. Couple those things with a 24 hour news cycle and social media and sometimes it can be a challenge to really focus on one thing.  So how do we make the noise fade away and make serious progress? We need to find a way to achieve clarity.

This can be done in a number of ways. Every person will have their own way to get into the zone. I do some of my best thinking when I'm on a trail run.  Each and every trail is different and focus is required to avoid rocks, cliffs and other trail goers. The attention to the details of the trail, along with the physical discomfort of running hard combine to dissolve the constant churn of thoughts running through my brain. Anxieties fade. Worries evaporate. I often find the answer to questions I've been stewing on for months. Clarity through focus and discomfort.

After a run,  I like to immediately write down any ideas or thoughts while they are fresh. This helps them solidify in my head and makes it more likely that I will act. This routine of gaining clarity through toil and getting results on paper can lead to progress on goals,  improved decision making and a great degree of satisfaction.

So find your zen arena, the place where your world comes into focus and breakthroughs are made. Go there regularly and write down the results while they're still fresh.  You might be surprised how far you can go with a little clarity.