Clarity Isn’t Motivation. It’s Direction.

I had been challenged over the last week. Feeling overwhelmed. I began to burn myself out starting with the overthinking. Just so much to do! Writing and editing a book. Preparing for a webinar. Family responsibilities. Marketing. Learning the publishing process. Then there are the things I desire to do: exercising, reading, learning, and discussing topics with my mentors. Then there are the late to-do’s: car maintenance, haircut, household maintenance. . .

Over the last two weeks I most certainly lost clarity. I was adrift in the fog. I knew the simple steps I teach. Yet, emotions grabbed hold and my direction to move forward was spinning. In an effort, I vented to a friend. A measure of a great friend, she guided and empowered through quality questions. After that discussion, I knew the steps I needed to take. The next day the old thoughts brought back the doubt, so I vented to my wife, who asked a lot of questions and listened. Feeling listened to, I reached that same conclusion: break down the tasks by priority. Then break down the tasks into small, very simple daily steps.

In using the question: What do I want to achieve? Or in some cases, How do I want to achieve this? In this process, I realized the fog began more than three weeks ago. I wasn’t aware of my drift. The overthinking built up, and boom—when I needed to be effective, I realized I was lost in the old thinking framework.

It really doesn’t matter how far on the personal mastery journey you go. There are different fogs that drift in. Different ways fogs can creep into your life. Different stages where fogs come back, as if to challenge you. Your skill of being able to become aware, clarify, and move effectively is simply a matter of practice.

The Invitation

The fog doesn’t care who you are or how successful you’ve been—it still finds its way in. But clarity? Clarity is the compass that cuts through it.

That’s why I built the Growth Myndset Initiative. Not another program. Not another checklist. A movement to remember your own direction when life tries to blur it.

Because when you hold that compass—when you can name your North Star in a single sentence—everything shifts. The noise quiets. The overwhelm breaks. You move, not with force, but with flow.

This is what I believe: you are not broken. You are not behind. You are simply waiting to see clearly again.

And when you do, you don’t just find the way forward—you become it.