Why You Must Get Clear

For most people, the notion of “clarity” is uncharted territory. Just try answering this “simple” question: What do you want out of your business or career?

It’s a tough question. But, if you want to be a successful freelancer, then you absolutely have to know, feel and be able to visualize the answer.

All truly successful people have one trait in common: clarity about what they want out of their work, what kind of clients they want to work with and what they want to accomplish. It’s that laser focus that helps them determine what actions to take and where to spend their energy on a daily basis.

Simply put, clarity is what allows you to communicate your vision. Without it, it’s hard to answer even the most basic of questions, like “What does your business do?” and “Why are you in this business?” And, if you can’t articulate your vision, why should you expect anyone to jump on your bandwagon (i.e. clients, partners, investors)?

There’s a certain magical and magnetic quality about people who communicate their vision well. They inspire and attract people. Even better, they attract help. That’s because people who go about their daily lives vibrantly and vigorously have an energy that demands reciprocation.

If you can articulate your vision with passion and conviction, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to enroll people into helping you build your business or even send some work your way. That translates into the ability to launch your business faster or move ahead quicker and with greater success. 

Clarity also helps you evaluate opportunities as they arise — and it can help you determine if they’re worth pursuing. That’s because when we’re focused, the brain has an amazing power to pick up information and decipher opportunities.

For example, have you ever noticed that when you decide you’re ready to buy a new car, you begin to see that car everywhere? According to neuroscientists, this isn’t a coincidence. When we’re totally focused on what we want, amazing things happen. We become hypersensitive to opportunities, strategies, people and ideas that can help us meet our goals. 

As part of the research for a book I’m working on, I’ve talked to dozens of entrepreneurs and successful businesspeople about their path to clarity. Nearly all told me that they sought out expert assistance to achieve clarity of purpose. But regardless of how they got there, they all admitted that achieving that clarity was key to attracting the right people and resources they needed to be successful. 

A great way to get some clarity about your work and positioning it is to spend some uninterrupted time asking yourself some really deep questions about what you want to create in your life.

This is important because many of us have general ideas about what we want, but they’re often fleeting and unfocused. And when our vision isn’t clear, it’s hard to know what action to take or where to focus our energy.

So take time this week to get clear about what you really want. As you begin to see and feel what your life would be like with this new clarity, you’ll suddenly feel compelled to actively pursue this vision.

And before you know it, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your most important goals.
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Jennifer Remling is the founder of Carve Your Own Road www.carveyourownroad.com. A frequent speaker on professional development topics, she has been featured in MSNBC.com and The New York Post. Her first book is slated for release in April 2009.