If you lack clarity, or you find yourself chasing too many things and/or are derailed every time a shiny new opportunity appears, this is written for you.

Clarity is power. The clearer you are about what you want, the better your chance is of actually achieving it.

We humans all need to strive for something that is meaningful to us, and as Lao Tzu shared,

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.

~ Lao Tzu

You may not have drilled it down to a specific goal yet, but in your heart-of-hearts it’s very likely that you do know what you want.

So why do so many of us idle in indecision and declare that we don’t know what we want?

Because we’re too afraid to own what we want and commit to it.

We’re afraid we’re not good enough. We’re afraid to risk failure, disappointment and perhaps heartache. We are overwhelmed and have no clue where to begin. And that is a whole lot of vulnerability and uncertainty to roll around in.

The act of you owning what you want and committing to making it happen is the surefire way to bring your dream to life.

You are co-creating your reality through your beliefs, thoughts, words and actions and so the simple (but not easy) act of committing to a dream or goal will change how you show up in the world and what you choose to focus on… which of course changes everything.

So what is it that you want to create, accomplish or experience this year?

If you need a little clarity boost, here’s a great exercise to try.

Step 1: Set a timer for 15 minutes and brainstorm a list of the dreams, goals, projects that you want to make happen this year. Have fun with it and write down anything that comes to mind. And if your mind is drawing a blank, no worries. Not immediately tapping into exactly what you want is common, especially if you’ve been “shoulding” on yourself and suppressing your dreams for quite some time. Here are some prompts that may help:

• If you knew success was 100% guaranteed, what would you like to pursue?
• If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your life, what would it be?
• Wouldn’t it be cool if…? (complete the sentence 10 or more times)

No idea is too outlandish. Let your ideas flow and dream on!

Step 2: Review your list and find the one or two items that has you saying a big “YES!!!”. Does it truly light you up? Do you want it so badly that it excites you and scares you at the same time?  Are you willing to work your butt off to do what it takes to make it happen? Will you let go of the things that don’t serve you to move you in the direction you want to go? If yes, you are honing in on something wonderful. If no, go back to the drawing board. Select your one big YES and write it down.

Step 3: WHY is this goal important to you? Your why is your purpose and your purpose fuels persistence. It’s what you need when the going gets tough, to keep showing up when no one is looking and the path is bumpy and unclear. After you have answered WHY it’s important to you, drill down deeper. Why is that important? And again, why is that important? Repeat the question several times. This will give you a beautiful list of heart-centered reasons why this goal really matters to you. No “should’s” allowed!

So what is it that you really want to make happen this year?

I’d love to know.

Thank you for sharing and contributing your thoughts. You may just have an idea or insight that could change someone’s life.