Getting Clear: The Practice of Honest Self-Assessment
Let’s start with this: Most people don’t lack ambition or goals. What they lack is clarity. That crisp knowing of where they are, what they want, and what might need to shift.
Clarity doesn’t always show up as a lightning bolt. Sometimes, it’s more like dusting off a mirror that’s been fogged up for a while.
And the tool I come back to again and again is simple: honest self-assessment.
1. The Weekly Check-In
It doesn’t have to be dramatic. Once a week, I ask myself a few grounding questions:
What’s currently working for me?
What (or who) feels off or draining?
Where am I avoiding something I know needs attention?
This isn’t about judgment—it’s about noticing.
Actionable Step: Create a recurring 15-minute appointment in your calendar labeled "Check-In." Use that time to jot honest answers in a notebook or digital note.
2. The Clarity Grid
Whenever I feel scattered, I draw a quick 4-quadrant grid with these headers:
Keep: What’s working and should stay?
Change: What needs adjustment?
Start: What have I been avoiding or wanting to begin?
Stop: What is draining me that I can let go of?
It’s low-pressure but eye-opening every time.
Actionable Step: Try using the Clarity Grid once a month. Print it out, sketch it in a notebook, or keep a digital version.
3. Pattern Spotting
Clarity often comes from observing repeated behavior. Are you always overcommitting? Consistently avoiding certain conversations? Feeling most energized during a particular task?
Noticing these patterns is the beginning of change.
Actionable Step: For one week, journal briefly each day. What gave you energy? What drained you? Review at the end of the week for patterns.
4. Make Space for Stillness
You can’t get clear if your life is too loud. I used to fill every quiet moment with noise—podcasts, emails, TikTok loops. But stillness is where clarity lives. Give yourself space to hear yourself think.
Actionable Step: Try a "clarity walk" once a week. No music, no podcast. Just walk. Notice what thoughts come up. Bonus points if you bring a pen and notebook.
5. Be Brave Enough to Answer Honestly
Sometimes we do know what we want—we’re just afraid to name it. Or we know what isn’t working, but admitting it means something might have to change.
But honesty is the entry point to everything you’re seeking.
Actionable Step: Ask yourself: What am I pretending not to know? Don’t rush the answer. Sit with it. Let it rise.
Final Thought:
Clarity isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a practice.
And the good news is, the more you practice asking honest questions, the easier it becomes to hear your own answers.
The fog lifts. The next step reveals itself. And life feels a little lighter.
Give yourself that gift. Get clear—not just to move forward, but to move forward in the right direction.
