A 3-Step Framework for Clarity and Action

Don’t wait. The time will never be just right – Napoleon Hill 

All of us have said this one thing at some point : “I’ll start when the timing is right.”

• When work slows down.
• When the kids are older
• When I feel more ready, more confident, more qualified… more something.

When we want to do something, put an idea into action, we wish for a version of life where everything is neatly aligned and that next step will feel effortless. 

Yet if you look back now, how often has that perfect moment actually arrived? – Rarely, if ever.

This is because the “right time” is not something waiting for us around the corner, at the end of a street. We may wait for the right time, but time doesn’t wait for us. This wait is a comforting illusion, a fancy facade, that allows us to feel safe while putting off what we truly want to do, but are fearful of doing, for some reason. In all this waiting, we postpone the very clarity we are hoping to gain.

The truth is, you do not need the perfect time to start, you just need to start. By starting, you create the perfect time. The moment you take your first step, you set things in motion, and that is when clarity begins to unfold.

Interestingly, I know, this is not new for you. This is the way you’ve come so far, just doing what needed to be done and you figured it out along the way of doing it. 

Yet, now you are holding yourself back, waiting for the right time.

Here’s how to shift from waiting to moving, using what I call The 3 step Framework for Clarity and Action.

 

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Step 1: Change the Story

Let’s begin by paying attention to how often you say, “I’ll start when…”

• • “I’ll start my business when I have more savings”, 
  • “I’ll work on my health when work calms down.” 

• I’ll hang out with friends when the kids are older.” 

• I’ll study for that certification when I leave my job.”

• I’ll leave my job when I have that certification.” 🙂

These all sound like reasonable plans. In reality, they are often a way of postponing action until we feel perfectly ready, a feeling that rarely arrives.

When you catch yourself in the I’ll-Do-It-When Story, shift the narrative to I’ll-Figure-It-Out Story. To help you in this, remember the time the latter story did play out in your life previously. This narrative is more empowering, because it helps you acknowledge that clarity will not appear out of thin air. It will come as a result of moving forward. A Bonus Tip to make it easier is to lean on the evidence of a previous I-Will-Figure-It-Out Story of your life, we all have one. 

 

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Step 2: Change the Question

We feel hesitation or resistance, because more often than not, we are focused on everything that could go wrong. We imagine and fear the risk, the judgment, the failure, the investment of time and money. This fear can be endless and paralysing.

Now, did you know that fear and curiosity cannot occupy the space in your mind at the same time ? Curiosity helps overcome fear, because you cannot explore something without facing it. 

Next time when you catch yourself stalling due to fear, shift the question from, “What if it goes wrong?” to “What can I learn by starting now?”

This reframing is encouraging because it turns the experience of starting into an experiment rather than a final verdict on your abilities. It invites you to explore instead of judge, and exploration naturally opens the door towards clarity.

 

Step 3: Change the Move

So, you have decided to experiment, Great! Now, you don’t need to dive right into the deep end. You only need to take the smallest possible action that moves you closer to your goal. That might be writing the first paragraph of your book, making the first phone call, signing up for a class, or wearing your sneakers for the walk towards fitness.

These small actions might seem insignificant, but they are powerful. They create movement, and movement generates momentum. One step leads to the other, and you realize what is serving you and what is not. All this helps to get clarity about the next steps and your perspective starts to shift and the way forward becomes clearer.

The Secret is : Clarity is not the flag waving at the finish line. It starts to emerge as you begin. By taking that first step, no matter how small, you create the conditions for you to discover clarity that has always been within.

If you have been waiting for the right time, this is your sign that it is already here. 

Not because everything is lined up, but because you are ready to create it by starting.

If you’ve been waiting for the “right time,” this is it. Check out Clarity Coaching and start creating the clarity you need today.