Clarity

The other day I noticed that my car’s windshield was getting dirty, so I told myself I had to clean it.  The days went by and it just kept getting dirtier and dirtier making it harder to see but there never seemed to be time to clean it. At night I would get home too tired and I had so many other things to do that I’d quickly forget. Until one day I finally decided that it was going to get cleaned no matter what and the difference was amazing. Everything looked brighter; I actually was able to admire my surroundings.  I wonder why it took me so long to do something as simple as clean a windshield. As I was driving back home I started thinking that this could be a picture of how sometimes we don’t make time to clean up the things that are obstructing our visibility.

We know when we aren’t doing well.  We know when something isn’t right in our lives, when we’re missing something or when we’re headed in the wrong direction. There are little signs trying to warn us, we may be moody, not ourselves, or simply unhappy.  And those signs may go on for weeks, months and even years, until they become something a lot harder to solve.

If we don’t have clarity in our lives, how can we go ahead? Clarity takes time and effort, just like everything else worthwhile in life.

So, what do you do if the “windshield” of your life is a little dirty and you simply can’t see where you’re going? Here are a few ideas:

• Notice: The first thing is to notice that there is something obstructing the way.  Once you realize or accept that something needs to be done about a certain feeling, thought or situation, you are starting to head in the right direction.
• Decide: When you notice that something needs to be addressed is the beginning, but doing nothing about it is not going to give you any solution. You can think, complain and talk about a problem all day long, but if you don’t actually analyze it and do something about it, the situation is still going to be there and with time it may get worse. You see it, you do something about it.
• Schedule: We all have busy lives, things that are happening around us, people who seem to be pulling from every side and if we’re honest many times our issues are put to the side to comply with the needs of others. Schedule “me time” moments where all you need to think about is you.
• Analyze: Dig deep to find the real cause of what you’re going through. Take the time to clearly define what is really bothering you and discover the reason why.  It may take a while, it may be painful. It will be worth it.
• Go forward: Celebrate each step of your “cleaning” process.

Take advantage of the clarity you will encounter as you spend more time on your own.  You and only you are responsible for the direction your life takes, so make sure you see clearly where you’re going.

Manuelita @manuelitaotero