How to Get Clarity

Life fully loved
26 March 2023

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I had a breakthrough this week. While taking an online course, my mind cleared, suddenly. “Burst of clarity” – now it makes sense! I knew what I had to do. Momentum followed. Rolling with it, I cleaned up the mess to welcome the sparkly new. Here are the lessons I learned, along with some tips on how you can get clarity too.

What is clarity?

Dictionary.com provides my favourite definition of clarity:

clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity.
the state or quality of being clear or transparent to the eye

I associate clarity most often with clearness. Yet it’s more than a state of mind; it’s a feeling: “freedom from ambiguity.” It’s visceral too. I felt like the scales were removed from my eyes.

The Gifts of Clarity

I wondered, “What are the gifts of clarity?”

Cut Through Clutter. I am curious by nature which means I can go down rabbit holes easily. My curiosity is a blessing and a curse because it means I accumulate mental clutter. With clarity, I could eliminate the extraneous, simply let it go, instead of carrying that baggage, anticipating some future nebulous use for it.

See the Path. Removing rubble from my way let me see the path forward. The path is straighter than I thought! Now I can decide how fast I want to travel, see the scenery, and build benches along the route. I’m using my energy the right way to move forward. No more spinning wheels.

Feel Lighter. The best part? I feel relieved. The burden of clutter has been lifted and I can clearly see where I want to go. With less emotional weight, life feels easier.

Getting Clear

It starts with wanting it. I held on to my baggage for many reasons. Familiarity. Inertia. The need for control. The hardest part was accepting what I got from it. For many years, it justified – and reinforced – my saboteurs. And so, my saboteurs controlled me instead of my Leader Within, the voice of inner wisdom.

Most of this was unconscious. Quite frankly, I had no self-awareness of my saboteurs. I knew I had baggage, but it took many years to understand that experiences don’t happen to me but for me.

The Clarity Process

Ask yourself, “What do I want?” Most of the time when I ask this question, I hear a variation of “I don’t know.” Often, people revert to saboteur talk by saying, “I should … “ Those of you who read this newsletter regularly will recognize that “should” is a saboteur speaking.

Instead, try asking, “Who am I?”

This question stumps people as well. People fall to descriptors like “I am smart. I am creative.” In fact, these qualities describe strengths. Valuable to know, but it doesn’t address who you are at your core.

At your core, you have values. These are the unwritten rules that drive your behaviours and, most of the time, you may not even be aware of them. Your values created your habits.

You have a purpose. Knowing who you are is about finding what fulfils you, what brings meaning to your life. In essence, you want to make a difference. It’s about more than leaving a legacy. It’s a pro-social need to leave the community better.

Header Photo by Photo by Josh Calabrese on Unsplash, Photo by Bridget Mac Donald on Unsplash, Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

You have to be open minded in order to grow. The coaching that Laura gave me opened my eyes to what and how I was doing things and allowed me to see the bigger picture. I am not done yet but I already see the changes in my everyday life.
MM

I think coaching is a great way to help you clear your mind when you get stuck with overwhelming situations or when stepping into changes in your life.
MO

Coaching is life changing. It pushes you outside your comfort zone and challenges your perspectives. It is highly motivating and the exercises and techniques used are both fun and informative. I think the main benefits of coaching are to see yourself, others and the world more clearly. I think coaching is valuable to anyone regardless of where you are in your life or career.
LE

I honestly never thought I’d need a coach. I thought coaching was for CEOs and industry VIPs. I didn’t think it was for the “little guys” (i.e. me). Now, I’m of the belief that everyone – yes, EVERYONE – needs a coach. Coaching has really benefitted me and I’m so grateful to have had that time with Laura. It’s changed my life!
VB

Laura is very patient. She took the time to understand what was causing me to be stuck where I am today and help me build a better vision so I can continue to grow.
MM

I think Laura’s coaching was what I had been waiting for. Laura was so approachable, kind, and open. Her willingness to help and support made a difference for me. I found in her coaching new strategies, ideas, and perspectives that I could incorporate into my goals and objectives that I didn’t see before.
MO

Laura is an incredibly intuitive, positive and caring coach. Her techniques helped me recognize both my strengths and areas I might want to explore as I embark on the next chapter of my career. The exercises she employed were instrumental in providing self perspective and challenging my frames of reference.
LE

Laura is a natural coach. Her probing and compassionate questions helped me learn about myself: my value system, interests, goals and strengths.
LM

Coaching sessions with Laura gave me new perspectives on how to process specific feelings and situations in life. She showed me how to sit with my emotions, acknowledge them, and then use visualization strategies to move through them. I now feel more confident and in control of how I choose to walk through life.
CP

From the beginning, Laura put me at ease, creating a safe, open space for me to talk and share freely without fear of judgement. I loved the variety of approaches she used depending on the topic we were working on and it was fun being able to try out things I wouldn’t have considered before! With Laura’s coaching, I substantially grew my confidence in the workplace, overcame fears, dealt with issues I’d been carrying around for many years and, most importantly, learned to value myself and define a path forward into the future.
AG

Laura’s coaching was a breath of fresh air and EXACTLY what I needed at that point of my life. I didn’t realize how impactful coaching was going to be, but by the end of the sessions together, I left feeling refreshed, inspired and genuinely curious about what my future held for me. Because of Laura and her coaching, I believe I became a better person – someone who is more open-minded, someone with a clearer focus, and someone who is willing to explore opportunities and possibilities far more than I ever did before.
VB

I engaged Laura for coaching as I took on an expanded role leading an asset management company in Canada. As a female, I knew I would be a role model and had high expectations of myself. I was feeling overwhelmed and anxious.

In our first few coaching sessions we worked through exercises that allowed me to reflect on my purpose, leadership style and what mattered most to me. I continue to be grounded by the clarity I achieve in my coaching sessions – allowing me to be resilient and confident when challenges came my way.
OS