The search for clarity in our lives and careers is pretty universal, but it definitely can be elusive. Can you think of moments when you felt like you had absolutely no idea what you’re doing or what to do next? Me too. Luckily, those moments don’t last forever, but that doesn’t mean that they’re easy to deal with. I’m guessing you’ve experienced this at some point, too.  

In late 2005 after I graduated from college and moved back in with my parents, I felt generally lost, confused, and kind of depressed. I know that I must have done fun things during those months, but when I think back on that time, I just envision grayness. 

I took a retail day job with good benefits, but that took up a lot of energy that might have gone toward finding piano students or applying for music jobs. (No regrets about that job, it’s how I met my partner and lots of good friends.)

I also made a lot of excuses about not taking opportunities because I was afraid of not being good enough. At the time, the logic that you don’t get good at something until you actually try it was not compelling enough for me to take those risks, so I stayed stuck for a while. 

Of course, staying stuck and somewhat discouraged didn’t bring me any new insights about my career or life direction, because it kept me in the same place, and those negative feelings kept me from taking action.

Looking back, I wish that I had done more to get myself out of that mental state, but I can’t blame the younger, less confident me for taking a while to figure things out, and really, figuring out your life is a lifelong process.

Eventually I did get unstuck, and you can, too, I promise! 

So how do we find clarity? Or how does it find us? 

Step 1 is accepting that the path may be messy and circuitous. Knowing what you want in your life, and more importantly, what result you want from your actions, helps define what steps to take - you’ll get there much faster if you’re pointed in the right direction!

This sounds simple but is not easy. There can be a lot of mindset stuff around what you feel you’re even allowed to want - feelings of being undeserving, or that what you want simply isn’t possible. So, if admitting to yourself what you want feels scary (let alone saying it out loud), you’re not alone. 

“Who am I to want to make $1000 (or more!) from art sales each month?” 

“Who am I to want to play at Carnegie Hall?”

“Who am I to want to perform on Broadway?”

Thinking audaciously enough to want what you want helps it seem possible, and when it really feels possible to you, that’s when you start acting in alignment with that goal, and start seeing yourself differently, as “the kind of person who DOES <insert your goal here>”. That’s a great place to be, because suddenly you feel like everything is possible, and it very well might be! 

One of my favorite parts of coaching is helping my clients find that spark of excitement that ignites the next step that they need to take to move toward their creative career goals. 

Envisioning what you want next with journaling

Journaling is an amazing way to explore what you might want in your life, long before you get brave enough to share it with anyone else (and you’ll get there, too). 

I’ll be honest - journaling is one of those habits that I wish I did every day, but have never really gotten in a good groove with. The good news is that that doesn’t really matter - it would be great to do every day, but journaling is helpful whenever you pick it up. One resource I like is Katie Dalebout’s book Let It Out: A Journey Through Journaling - she has journaling exercises for dozens of different situations. 

Over the summer, the big transition of moving cross-country to start a new life in Oakland triggered a flood of big questions, and even though I knew that journaling would be immensely helpful, I resisted it for a while because I didn’t know where to start. So what do you do when you're feeling the pressure of the blank page?

Start with what you know. When I opened my new journal in July, started with the big heading:

HERE'S WHAT I KNOW.

It helped so much to list out some things that I knew to be true in that moment, and really helped reduce my overwhelm. In case you feel apprehensive or confusing about beginning to journal, you can start with this prompt, and it may help you realize that you do indeed know more than you thought!

Journaling is also an integral part of my new 3-month coaching program Creative Season - I tailor personalized journaling prompts to what you need at that moment.

Fully envisioning what you want from your life and career gets you more clear and more ready to actually make it happen! 

How to invite clarity

If you create the conditions, clarity will show up - there are lots of indirect, yet important, ways to invite it in. (Yes, I talk about these same things in reference to the creative process, they’re related!) Taking care of your physical and mental needs is like fertilizing soil so that more great things will grow. Some things to remember: take more breaks for exercise, meditation, or to lie on the floor; get more sleep, drink more water, and eat when you’re hungry (sounds obvious, but is easy to overlook).

Creating more white space in your schedule gives you time to process all that you’re taking in, and gives you the mental space to listen to your intuition, inner voice, or whatever you like to call it. (We creatives tend to be more sensitive and need more processing time.) Getting away from screens and social media helps create that space to just be you. 

Making the time to listen to yourself strengthens the invitation to clarity - I sometimes think of it as a forest animal who won’t come near unless you’re really quiet and have a friendly energy about you. 

I spent years on end being too busy to get quiet and hear my own messages about what I really wanted, and eventually my body let me know, in the form of anxiety and burnout. It wasn’t until I radically overhauled my habits (nutrition, meditation, etc.) that I found enough space in my head to think clearly enough to start making future plans for projects like making my first album. 

I often wish that all of the answers would be revealed to me, but of course, we only usually get glimmers of clarity. Even one glimmer that tells you the next right step can feel like magic, and give you the push you need to get that art show or coveted gig - trust that you don’t need to see all of the steps at once. 

When I started blogging in 2016, I didn’t have a specific goal in mind, except to share my experience of being a musician, and creative process. When I would write blog posts about wellness-related topics, I felt excited and passionate. I didn’t have any aspirations to be a coach at that time, but I felt passionate about sharing my experience and helpful tips, and now I know that it foreshadowed a career shift! The same might be true for you!

Taking any action leads to clarity

So once you’re creating the conditions that clarity needs to flourish, what do you do next if you’re not sure about that next right step? 

Keep taking action. 

Taking any action will yield a result, which gives you data about whether it is leading you toward your goals. If one action doesn’t work, try another, and see what happens - test and change. More action means more data, even if feels like you made a mistake or hit some dead ends. What really matters is that you’re showing up and making your best effort. 

22-year-old me gave up way too quickly if something didn’t work easily. If I didn’t get selected after a job interview, or a potential piano student didn’t pan out, I got discouraged and didn’t want to try again - maybe you can relate to this feeling. 

At the first post-college piano teacher meeting that I attended, I was the only person there under 35, and no one talked to me, so I avoided going to similar meetings for years afterward. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have given up on finding like-minded piano teacher colleagues, but I hadn’t expected it to take so long. 

It can be tough to have the patience to stick with something until you see results, but so much of success comes from simply not giving up. Even though I didn’t stick with marketing my piano studio in the early days, through word of mouth I eventually ended up with 30 students, because I kept doing it. Confidence in this process comes from experience, which you can only get by, well, having the experience. (Annoying but true.) But you can definitely do that! 

Be open to receiving insight and support 

Saying your thoughts out loud forces you to form a different level of understanding than when they’re just floating around in your head. I can think of many times when I’ve been explaining something I’m working through mentally, and I hear myself say something that I hadn’t fully realized was true until I said it out loud! 

Finding a trusted person to be a sounding board can be so invaluable, too. Almost 2 years ago, I was telling a friend that I wanted to reduce my teaching to 2 days a week. It then didn’t make sense to teach in 2 different places, so I thought, “Can I do that?” as I pondered consolidating. The feeling in my body gave me the answer - I felt lighter and more excited while imagining that possibility, and even though making that change felt scary, I then knew it was what was going to happen. 

Where do you feel it in your body when something just feels right? Or what words would you use to describe that feeling? 

Start noticing when you do have clarity, by taking a moment to mentally note that, and thank the universe (if you’re into that). And, of course, having a way to record your insights (analog or digital) is also essential. I find regular tracking to be super helpful, through my weekly and monthly check-ins, which you can download here.

It can be daunting when you think that you have to get it all figured out at once, but I know that you can create the creative career you’re longing for, one right next step at a time. I can’t give you the answers, but I can absolutely support you in finding your own!

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What’s your favorite way to find clarity? Tell me about it in the comments!