I’ve received a few emails, texts, and phone calls about a phrase I used at the end of a post a couple weeks ago, wanting me to talk more about the subject:
“Clarity is often too clear to see.”
We’ve all been there… the answer to our most difficult challenge was staring at us directly in the eye the entire time, but for some reason was too cloudy to see. I contend that it wasn’t cloudy at all. I believe these obstacles are often too clear to see. Our minds make them cloudy, sometimes as a defense mechanism, other times due to fear of the unknown. Whatever the reason, it’s important for us to understand the harder we look for the answer, the more difficult it becomes to find… as if we were staring right through it.
An example I like to use is that of a glass table…
Depending on how we look at it, we either see what’s on top of the table, what’s under it, or we’re able to see our reflection. If we glance at the table quickly and superficially, we’ll simply see the obvious… those things on top of the table. If we search a little deeper, the challenges on top become blurry as we stare through the glass, and are able to see what’s under the table. Those two are relatively simple… and is how most of us search for answers. The more difficult solution is being able to make the junk on top blurry, not allowing our eyes to focus on what’s under the table, making them concentrate on our own reflection.
Too often, we don’t want to see that reflection, as it becomes difficult to acknowledge what’s staring back. Not only is it more physically challenging to see the image in the glass, but it’s mentally and emotionally demanding as well. What’s on top of and below the table is simple to see, and is what we usually choose as the answer to our personal confrontations. This is why many tend to spin round and round, rarely moving forward enough to make a difference.
Clarity begins with what’s staring back at us. It only becomes too clear to see if we choose to look somewhere else!
