How to Make Space for Clarity in a Busy Week
You've thought about it on the way to work. You've asked five people and received five different answers. The question keeps returning, but the answer still feels far away.
When someone tells me they're waiting for clarity, I like to ask how often they've actually set aside five or ten minutes to sit with the question. Often, the answer is that there hasn't been time.
So let's make space for clarity in a way that fits your real week. You can begin with a few quiet minutes and one question you genuinely want to understand.
Choose one question you can stay with
What should I do with my whole life is a very big assignment for a Tuesday evening. Bring the question closer to the situation in front of you.
What do I want to understand about this opportunity? What part of this conversation am I avoiding? What would I like my week to feel like? Choose something you can explore without needing to solve every part of your future.
Write it down before you begin. When your attention wanders into other decisions, you'll have a simple place to return.
Give your answer somewhere to arrive
Find a comfortable place to sit, put your phone aside, and let the question be there for a few minutes. You can keep your eyes open. If sitting quietly feels unhelpful, try writing instead.
Notice what comes up without rushing to turn it into a decision. A feeling deserves curiosity. You can acknowledge it and give yourself time to understand it before acting.
You might notice a preference you've been talking yourself out of. You might realize you need more information. You might simply recognize how tired you are. Let that be useful, too. There's no need to produce a dramatic answer to make the time worthwhile.
Keep the practice small enough to return to
I've spoken about what happens when people leave a retreat determined to meditate for an hour or two every day. Life gets busy, a few days are missed, and the practice can start to feel like another thing they've failed at.
Start with a time you can realistically protect. Ten minutes is a place to begin. You can spend longer when you want to, without turning your quiet time into a chore.
Before you finish, write down what you noticed and whether there is a practical next step. Perhaps you need to ask a question or check an assumption. Perhaps you want to return tomorrow with a little more patience.
Make room to hear yourself. Then let what you learn inform the way you move through your day.
If you'd like someone to guide your practice, explore a private Guided Meditation Session with Best Life-ing.
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