How Lack Of Clarity Stops You From Making Progress
How to move forward without getting stuck in the unknown.
Lack of clarity is what stops you from taking action.
You have set a destination for yourself. For now, it is covered with a fog as thick as milk.
It’s so dense that you lose the idea of which way leads there. How to find it?
Why is clarity so crucial?
Building muscle is simple:
Lift heavy objects adding weight over time.
Eat calorie surplus and enough protein.
Get enough sleep.
Repeat.
Writing a book is simple:
Define your main idea.
Outline.
Write every day.
Those things are not easy by any means, but they are simple.
Even when the sun shines and the air is clear, it's still hard to make steps. The destination may be steep and swampy. It may be very far away. You may be slowed down by an arrow in the knee. But what matters is that you know where you are going and will eventually arrive there.
More or less, but you know what steps to take to achieve the desired outcome.
Imagine you know nothing about bodybuilding. Imagine that you are not familiar with the concept of a book.
Paralysis of unknown
It’s often that things aren’t hard but you don’t know what steps to take. The fog is in the way.
Unclarity makes an easy excuse.
Unclarity causes overwhelm.
Unclarity is a powerful fuel for procrastination.
Avoiding the unknown feels safer and much easier than stepping into it. When your mind can’t see a clear path forward, it panics. Instead of making a move, you freeze. The unknown feels like a wall too high to climb, so you stand there, overthinking, waiting for certainty that never comes.
I have found myself so many times in this situation… I’m stuck, so I waste tons of time wandering around and hoping a solution will eventually pop up in my head. It never does, at least not at this stage.
What did I learn from countless wasted hours? Acknowledge this occurrence and TAKE ACTION!
Do whatever moves you forward: listen to a podcast, sit down with a pen and paper, research, research more. This always felt like no progress to me, but it actually is. Those are easy to put for later, but the sooner you plant seeds in your mind, the sooner fruits will bear. If you listen to a podcast with a specific problem in mind and a nagging need to solve it, your mind will filter out useful information and the dots will connect.
Clearing the fog
If you are stuck—break things down to the parts you understand.
Theory-practice balance
“Those who are in love with practice without knowledge are like the sailor who gets into a ship without rudder or compass and who never can be certain [where] he is going. Practice must always be founded on sound theory.” — Leonardo da Vinci
Education comes first—to fill your mind with ideas and potential fixes for the problem, to plant the seeds. Practice though, is not only important but necessary.
Theory without practice is useless and vice versa. Like a lock and key—just metal objects with no function. But together, they open doors.
Theory and practice work the same way. Theory without action leads to wasted potential. Practice without clarity leads to wasted effort.
How to not waste potential?
Get the initial reps out of the way. Start as soon as you know the basics, you will fill the gaps along the way. Don’t fall into the “never ready” trap. Take action! So little and so much.
How to not waste effort
Educate yourself on the topic, make a plan, pull the levers that give the most outcome.
Don’t complain about having too much on your plate if your goal was to eat. Acknowledged what has the most nourishing value.
If your goal is to write a book, blocking time to write and sitting through the whole block even if your head is empty moves the needle most.
If your goal is to get fit, then prioritizing training as the main activity of your day and proper nutrition matters more than obsessing over supplements.
Don't be scared to pivot.
Don't be scared to change your plan. As you get more knowledge and experience, your goals change. As you get older and wiser you start to want different things in life in general.
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