Identifying Potential Roadblocks with Clarity
Good morning, followers!
Let me start off with Merriam Webster's definitions of the word "clarity":
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clarity
For this blog we will be looking at both definition a & b.
a
: the quality of being easily understood.
b
: the state of having a full, detailed, and orderly mental grasp of something.
Now, why define the word clarity you ask? Because it underlies our very topic we are discussing today.
Another term we need to get out of the way is "The Clarity Paradox"
Now that we've gotten those terms out of the way, let's get into Kimberly Rich's
"Identifying Your Roadblocks" (Taken from her Future- Self Life Coaching Course on Transformation Academy). As with the past couple of blogs, I will share my personal answers with the questions.
Objective: Spot Your Clarity Disruptors
Target: What could be blurring your clear vision and purpose?
Success-Related Roadblocks:
- 1. Increased Options:
- What new opportunities might tempt you off course? anything involving recovery, to have a "new experience or adventure", codependency
- Which ones feel exciting but don't serve your core mission? codependency
- What "good" things might distract you from "great" things? "New experiences"
- 2. Environmental Pulls:
- What in your environment pulls you toward your Present Self? my children, my dog, my daily responsibilities, social media, my cell phone.
- Which relationships keep you in old patterns? Old past friends, bullies, aggressive people, competitive people.
- What daily situations dilute your focus? Spending too much time trying to perfect everything instead of being grateful for what I have done with "ease, balance, and grace'.
- 3. Success-Driven Comfort:
- Where might success make you soft? It might make me more complacent, forget about why I started my original goal, or better yet where I came from!
- What fundamentals might you stop practicing? Paying attention to others, not giving my customers/clients what they need or have asked for, becoming more isolated due to my SHAME!
- What standards might slip? Being true to my word, ethics, and values, being a good leader even when the group is deciding something that I have a hard or painful time with, being thorough with my craft whatever it is.
Mapping Your Urgency Traps:
Identify Your "Urgent" Patterns:
1. Which tasks regularly hijack your focus?
Task: Tending to my dog, helping my adult-needs son
Real Importance Level (1-10): 10
Could this be systematized? Yes
2. Where do you let others', emergencies become your emergencies?
Situation: With again my Adult-Needs son and sometimes family or sponsees
Your typical response: Jump in/Stop what I'm doing
Future Self response: Finish task and then respond
3. What small battles consume your energy?
Battle: Family (between my sons), sometimes in Group situations
Time/Energy Cost: Depends/Mostly lasts only a day.
Could this be eliminated /delegated? Yes! With my boys, "it's none of my business", in the Group situation, it's a matter of recognizing when my feedback is requested and then offer it. It doesn't mean that it's "The Solution" or "right", it just means my feedback is "heard".
Guard Against the Clarity Paradox
Phase 1: Clarity: Success: What's your core mission that must stay clear?
That I remain authentic, balanced, honest, have fun, only offer my "experience, strength and hope" when asked for, and to make my life about more than just "tasks".
How will you protect this clarity? By doing this writing and work, going to meetings, talking to my Sponsor and others who are also committed and doing this work.
Phase 2: Success: Options: Which opportunities align with your mission?
Having relationships with people that have a similar goal(s) or purpose, prioritize my day and life with dialogue that isn't triggering, dysfunctional, or chaotic, allow fun.
Which ones, though good, would diffuse your focus? Groups or people that want or "demand" more out of me than I can give, situations that constantly call me off my focus on any given day like it's an emergency regardless of who the person is!
Phase 3: Options: Diffusion: How will you maintain boundaries around your focus?
Look at my calendar. Be realistic. Be honest with yourself and others. It's good self-care to say no. Make you a priority. Schedule a "you" day!
What criteria will you use to evaluate new opportunities? What is the time commitment? What do I have to sacrifice in order to take this opportunity on? Can I honestly be "ok" with that? Will it make me grow or will it just lead me down the path to more frustration, resentment, and in the end, I'll end up getting to make "amends" to myself for not seeing it (DENIAL) or wanting to see it.
Phase 4: Diffusion: Lost Clarity: What early warning signs will you watch for?
Resentment, Anxiety, Fatigue
How will you course-correct quickly? Give it up realizing it was not the right fit for me.
Create Your Protection Plan
Environmental Design: How will you structure your environment to maintain focus?
1. Physical Space: Allow for connection/ yet create boundary for me time.
2. Digital Space: Too much digital connection can cause "overwhelm", stress so have to have quiet periods.
3. Time boundaries: In all areas with people, places, and things to create structure and balance.
Relationship Boundaries: How will you communicate your priorities to:
Team Members: I'm in need of creating a healthier
schedule.
Clients/Customers: I'm available this week during these hours.
Family/Friends: This is what I have open this week/This is when I'm free.
Success Standards: What non-negotiable standards will you maintain in:
1. Core work: I will spend at least a minimum of 3 hours daily.
2. Daily practices: " ".
3. Professional Development: This can vary but at least 3-4 hours daily, more when I'm designing a shirt or product.
Design Your Prevention System:
For Urgent Battles:
1. What systems can create to prevent common fires? Let go of "knee-jerk reactions" to butt in or rescue. Let others take care of themselves. In case of emergency, ask for help.
2. What boundaries need to be established? Everywhere I take "me", it's a "we". I'm not alone. I am only part of the Group. So, in my household, we take turns.
3. What responses can you automate? "I'm sure you can figure it out?", "Give me a moment", "Ask____ to help".
For Success-Driven Complacency:
1. How will you stay hungry when things are good?
Stay in relationships with others doing the same business
2. Who will challenge you to maintain high standards? Coaches, Family, Therapists, Friends, Sponsors.
3. What regular challenges will you create for yourself? Check-ins to see if projects I'm working on align with my mission.
For Focus Diffusion:
1. What weekly review questions will you ask? Look at my mission:
How well has my week aligned with this mission? What could I have improved? What have I learned?
Commitment:
I commit to protecting my clarity by seeing what I invest in:
I'll take an inventory of my increased options, my environmental pulls, and my success driven- comfort.
I'll maintain my edge by checking to see how well I've matched my goals (purpose) to align with my core mission.
When urgency tries to derail me, I'll:
see how my Future Self responds and self-correct.
I truly enjoyed doing this and learning how much I'm already transforming!
I'd love to hear from you!
Peace, Love, and Transformation,
Laura
“Clarity is the moment we see without opening our eyes.” – Stephanie Banks
To Learn More About Overcoming Roadblocks, Check out These Books!!!!
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