Are you finding it difficult to gain clarity?
Jaggi Vasudev said that…
“Confidence without clarity is always a disaster”
No one is exempted when it comes to gaining clarity because the more clarity we gain, the more value and confidence we develop.
Most of us struggle to gain clarity, especially career-wise.
Is our confusion normal? Yes!
Every successful person has in one way or the other experienced confusion – being at crossroads.
Before Nike became Nike
Today, Phil Knight the co-founder of the global Nike brand is one big personnel to reckon with. But before Nike become Nike, it was called blue ribbon. It was created for sports – an avenue for runners to share their stories. It’s easy to presume that Nike got to where it is on a platter of gold, but Phil had his share of the story.
Sometimes, in the beginning, Phil toured the world with a friend. For him, it was a great idea to see the world to draw inspiration from them. But during his tour, Phil took up some jobs.
He took up an encyclopedia sales job in Honolulu, but along the way, he left the job because he was having a bad time in the job. So he opted for a security salesman instead, for which he recorded good sales figures.
Recall, he planned to see the world and draw inspiration for his shoe deal. His way of doing that is to get involved which is why he did those jobs. He was very clear about what he wanted to do and he followed it. When he wasn’t feeling his first job, he changed it because he knew what he was looking for.
If confusion has a name – Tayo
Just like many youths out there, it is possible you are confused.
Tayo is a boy
Tayo doesn’t know what he wants to do. He has gone into several businesses but what he is looking for is money to survive; he doesn’t even have a clear picture of what he wants to become or what he loves to do.
He couldn’t make money. So he continues to jump from one business to the other. After several trials, he is tired, confused, broke, and frustrated.
He is simply struggling with gaining clarity.
Some Tayos might have even gained clarity at a point, but they are confused as to how to go about it. They want career speed but they are not ready to put in the work.
They ignored it and started chasing money. They felt that they can never make money from what they loved doing. Now, thy are stuck.
I have a word for you Tayo.
Confusion creeps into our lives if we don’t have a plan or direction.
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Why do people find it difficult to gain clarity
Looking at why most of us find it difficult to gain clarity, one of the things that set us up for confusion is that most of us ain’t even allowed to choose our career path as a student. Most of us don’t have a vivid understanding of what we are entering into.
Others include overthinking, worry and fear. This can put us in a confused state and make it difficult for us to gain clarity.
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Clarity questions
There are a series of questions people ask about gaining clarity.
- Can one gain clarity at once?
- How can I gain clarity?
Can we gain clarity at once
Clarity is a journey.
Some people say we gain clarity per time – one step into another, then it becomes clearer. Clarity is a process.
We all get confused or in doubt, even when we have a clear path.
So if you want a one-time clarity, you should go and see a fortune teller. Even at that, it doesn’t make life a bed of roses.
Why should we gain clarity?
Listening to Mrs. Ibukun Awosika’s interview a few weeks ago, she said that sometimes, we get confused on what to do, and that clarity is a journey. She also shared the several things she ventured into before finding where her interest lies. In other words, the jobs she was doing were not necessarily her career line. She was doing those jobs to find clarity.
You need to gain clarity because of the following reasons
- For focus and direction
A quote says
“It’s difficult to move forward when the forward is not defined”.
To get focused, you need to have a clear vision of where you are going. If not clear, you should at least know how to navigate. Clarity gives a specific direction where one is headed.
- It boosts our confidence
There is a confidence that comes with knowing where one is headed. For example, if you are headed somewhere and you don’t even know the name of the place you are going to, you won’t have the confidence to ask for help, because the exact place is unknown.
But, for someone that knows, say he headed to Lagos, he will have the confidence to ask where and where to board a bus, because they are sure of their destination.
This is what clarity does.
- It brings fulfillment
Having clarity brings about success, which in turn makes us fulfilled.
The peak of everything we chase in life is fulfillment. If you have a fulfilled day, you will sleep like a baby. For example, if you win a football competition, after the party and celebration, you will retire to your bed. You might even think about the journey throughout the competition and laugh yourself to sleep.
Aside from making money, aim for fulfillment.
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How do I gain clarity?
There are some things we need to know as an individual which helps in gaining clarity.
1. Self-identity: it’s important to know who we are; our temperament, strength, weakness. This will go a long way in helping us gain clarity.
2. Purpose: They say, when the purpose of a thing is unknown, abuse is inevitable. It’s important to discover our purpose in life. You hold a piece of the great task in the world. You have your part to play.
Fredrick Buechner says
“Purpose is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s needs”
3. Knowledge: The more knowledge you have about something, the clearer you are about it. Knowledge fine-tunes your perspective and gives you a clearer picture.
There are other factors like discipline, humility, and self-confrontation.
- Get our career clarity course: we have a course that will help you on your career clarity journey. With this course, you will also have the opportunity to join our Mentorship Academy for free for 4months.
In conclusion…
In gaining clarity, it’s important to know the WHY
This will be through self-identity and purpose.
Activate and focus on the ‘why’ because this will keep you going even when the road isn’t smooth.
What do I mean by the ‘why?’
Nikechi discovered she will like to be a doctor because she will love to care for people, it gives her joy and not because she loves the title doctor. Also, she knows her strength lies in reading and memorizing medical jargon.
It is important to evaluate yourself on the journey to clarity. Gaining overall clarity is important because it will affect other aspects of your life.
The question is
Do we think the situation of our country plays a role in our inability to gain clarity?
Let’s know in the comment box
WRITER: Adebowale Adedoyin Odunayo
The situation of the country definitely plays a major role in all this confusion. It’s hard to stay focused on a niche, be it a skill, a business or a career… A lovely write up.
Thank you for reading
In a way i think that the situation of the country has something to do with our inability to gain clarity, this can be seen from the perspective of the state of things in the country , unemployment insecurities etc. Psychological it’s has a riprisal effect on individuals.
This is very true but one shouldn’t stay on that. Taking personal steps is important. Government couldn’t give us clean water, everyone started digging well or borehole. They couldn’t give us electricity, we bought generator. And lots more.