It starts with clarity
February 28th, 2018 by Morna
We recently welcomed a new group into our Members’ Studio. We have lots of resources all geared to help you build the creative business of your dreams.
I know that too many options can be overwhelming. What’s needed is clarity. It’s so easy to get bogged down with all the options. What if I do this? Or that?
Ever been there?
What do you need clarity on? When I work with some clients, that’s our first step. Clarity is really the foundation of success both in your business and your personal life. And, once you get clear, it doesn’t mean you always stay clear, unfortunately. I think it’s a continual path as you and your business grow.
You need to be clear on the direction you are going. What is your end goal? If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
You need to be clear on who your client is. We can’t be everything to all people, though I do know people who try. In one class I taught, I had a student who wanted to turn every quilter into an appliqué artist. While that was an admirable goal on her part, her time would have been exhausted trying to accomplish this. She would have been more effective targeting beginning quilters to get them started.
You need to be clear on the financial realities of your business. Where does your income come from? What are your expenses? How much do you need to earn to provide support for yourself? Do you really want a business or a hobby?
Those are just a few of the many areas that require clarity. I’m sure you can find other areas where you are searching for clarity. It could be something big, like what my coaches call your “Big Why,” or it could be something smaller, like the name of your new painting.
Finding Clarity
It’s easy to figure out what you need to be clear on – you hear the muddled voices. How do you find clarity? Here are a few approaches to tune into the right little voice inside so you can listen.
Create a vision board
The easy approach is to go through magazines and find things that resonate with you. It could be colors, words, pictures of places you want to visit, quilts you want to make or techniques you want to learn. Glue them onto a piece of poster board and leave it in a place where you’ll see it. I find that just searching for the items to put on my vision board helps me get clearer.
Keep a journal
Note your day’s activities, how you felt about what happened, any insights you might have. You might even ask a question and brainstorm on ideas or let the answer just come to you. Go back and read your earlier entries. The more you journal about something, the clearer it becomes.
Practice gratitude
Be grateful. If you are grateful every day, you can start to replace confusion with clarity. This is my favorite, and I keep a gratitude journal.
Change your environment
Spend time alone in nature. You may feel most at peace in a certain type of setting. For me it’s the water. So when I need to gain clarity, I will often sit by the water. Clarity often comes just “being,” and this environment lets me “be.”
Let it go
Let go of the question. Sometimes by no longer putting your attention on something the answer will just come to you.
Here’s a quote on clarity from Scottish writer Richard Holloway that I like:
Your Turn!
