Leaving corporate? Starting a business? Launching a new product?
In all of these scenarios, your brain will have been super active over a period of time dealing with countless decisions.
Consciously and unconsciously, you’ll keep weighing risk up against opportunities. That comes with the territory.
You’ll also filter dozens of ideas daily and day dream about the possibilities with equal measures of anticipation and frustration that it’s not happening right now, this very moment.
You’ll view your product offering from every angle. You’ll likely seek advice from countless suppliers about business models, financial imperatives, branding options, buying a website.
And deal with the administrative pile that comes with all of this.
The hard work of clarity
The one thing that probably won’t be top of mind is that you’re investing in the hard work of clarity. Because all this hard brain work doesn’t necessarily equate to clarity.
More likely, it drops you into a thick soup of uncertainty. As you layer each consecutive thought upon the next the probability of clearing the fog becomes less.
That’s the work of your Lizard. The voice in your head telling you it simply won’t work, no one will buy, you’re taking yourself to the brink.
Clarity is an elusive creature. It doesn’t come neatly gift wrapped in a box because you’ve been thinking so hard. Contrary to what we might assume as logical, just thinking hard will often drive this shy creature further away.
It’s been well documented that a large percentage of start ups fail. It’s also understood both through research and anecdotally that business owners are frequently caught in an endless roller coaster of idea, effort, disillusion, idea, effort, disillusion.
This monumental effort traps people on a treadmill of wasted time and money. Their Lizard’s gloat. Their confidence wanes.
Clarity works and is success in itself
1. Clarity filters ideas to a single focussed intention
Because clarity unearths exactly why, for exactly whom, we want what we want. What we want activates chemicals in our brain that fan desire.
When we desire something, (think about your first love), we become super focussed on getting it. That’s what we need to succeed. Super focus. We simply can’t bring the same single intention to multiple lovers. Or multiple ideas.
2. Clarity eliminates Multiple Offer Disorder (MOD)
If you’ve been doing something for any length of time, you’ve accumulated value, expertise and knowledge.
There will always be multiple ways in which you can assemble that value and position it in your market. Too often the temptation is to go to market with all iterations. If one offer covers off that segment of the market, why wouldn’t all the offers cover off an even bigger market.
You’ll see this on most websites. An array of choice that leaves visitors desperate to metaphorically turn on their heels and click the hell out of there.
In the work I do to help people clear their fog, often as we’re closing in on a well niched and structured core offer which aligns well to their stated intention and articulated purpose, the Lizard kicks in.
‘But what about this other work which I do so well?’ You can almost see its gnarly head hissing fear into it’s owners ear.
Here’s how clarity works. When you’re clear about your intention, your why, your reason for doing what you do, then you have the energy and dedication to take to market a clearly defined solution that will delight the right people. The people who most need what you have to offer. They’ll love you for it. They’ll join your clan.
You don’t have to abandon your other skills. In the first instance, you can bring them to the fray. Later on when you’ve captured your market eloquently, it’ll be your choice as to whether you expand the offer, or extend what you are doing so well to have a greater reach.
3. Clarity determines what you position
You, your business, your offer or your industry niche? That defines your business model. Each determines a different domain and a different purpose. This is the subject of a whole chapter in my book, Get It Right Online. Here it is: GIRO-edition2-read CLARITY
4. Clarity connects
You’re at a networking event. Someone asks you what you do.
Like a peacock you spread out your splendid tale of experience and wisdom. You illuminate them to the multiple ways in which you can make their life, business, health, wealth, risk, home, kids better. You hit them with the encyclopaedia of your accumulated knowledge, passion, belief and desires.
Because if you’re not clear how else do you make the best of this opportunity? By the time you’ve mouthed off the second acronym, they’re done. You’ve lost them anyway.
Same deal online.
When you’re clear, you answer in one line. It leaves people wanting to know more. If they don’t need what you offer, they know how to tell others about it. Because it’s simple, clear and authentic. They get your why.
5. Clarity eliminates the noise
All this thinking is just so noisy. Add in the hiss of the Lizard and it is little wonder waking in the early hours with your brain buzzing is an all too frequent occurrence.
Clarity takes the noise away. It shuts the Lizard up. It allows you to focus on just the next logical action you need to take to keep on building your work, block by block.
The same goes for any aspect of your business. Take blogging for example. When you’re clear about why you do what you do for whom, then blogging is not random. It is a block building exercise that continues post by post to build on why you do what you do for whom!
If you need help getting clear, we’d be delighted to help. You can find out how we work here.
This is another in the compelling Word Carnival series of gold for business owners. You can find the whole episode here.
Love this; “When you’re clear about your intention, your why, your reason for doing what you do, then you have the energy and dedication to take to market a clearly defined solution that will delight the right people.” I’ll be coming back to this post every time I need a reminder. Great article, Sandy. 🙂
Sharon Hurley Hall recently posted…How to Work with Writers [Slideshare]
Thank you Sharon. It’s a belief I need to remind myself of often, but the more I invest in it, the better I get at knowing what I should not do. Someone once said that if you do what you have to but not what you love to do, you won’t serve those you do it for at all well. Or words to that effect and that struck a chord. Glad it has been helpful.
SandyMc recently posted…Five compelling reasons to get clear
First comes clarity, then comes focus, then comes success! Simple but not easy. It’s why you and I do what we do.
Tea Silvestre recently posted…How to Tell a Compelling Story with Your About Page
Indeed it is. From all accounts, you do it exceptionally well and people are well served by your clarity and focus. Thanks Tea.
SandyMc recently posted…Five compelling reasons to get clear
You said it! Well, you always say it, with such finesse that it’s hard to follow up with any more in a comment 🙂
I am particularly guilty of wanting to compose things in every which way imaginable to suit all sorts of people with all sorts of different needs. And yes, it does become messy and disheartening and typically goes nowhere fast.
I think we all have more or less clarity on different things at different times. Like you said about blogging. I know the who what and why so that flows very smoothly. No inner lizard eating my brain cells. But my stuck points usually come in the “packaging”. I want to help the bigger clients with money. And the little ones without. The ones with time. The ones without. The ones who want these three things and the ones who want those three things. And I can… but should I? Focus is always more effective even if you’re narrowing down what you do to that laser point where you know everyone will be happy. Except the lizard 🙂
Carol Lynn recently posted…Marriage And Business: A Love Letter
Your last line made me hoot. Imagining a very disconscolate Lizard. I too am guilty of wanting to serve the littler ones. So often doesn’t work. I have a suspicion that budget driven folk know what they want, but not what they need and trying to satisfy both opens up a yawing gap. Thank you for your kind and considered words. I love your visits.
SandyMc recently posted…Five compelling reasons to get clear
Definitely going to read your book when it comes out, Sandy.
I’m totally with you when it comes to making sure your “fog of war” is as small as possible – the best way to do that is to smartly consolidate your resources into a few specific areas: new info (R+D), client retention, and internal situational awareness.
By constantly scanning the horizon for new info (R+D) you can avoid feeling like you’re mired in the same-old-same-old. You can also tease in portions of those other interests you might have to keep those creative juices flowing (polymaths).
Client retention allows you to not panic because you’ve dropped all your bill paying clients and now nobody is taking care of your bank account. You can also branch out and offer clients something new to keep them on board (again, one of those side projects – but it’s not a main offer, only for people who have been around a while with you, maybe).
Finally, internal situational awareness allows you to see the writing on the wall if a project is going south or you’re itching for a new project. Knowing where and when you can fit that project in is a really important bit of detail that you can’t leave out – it’s not just diving in to the next big project, you have to time it.
Great post!
Nick Armstrong recently posted…Most marketing is total bullshit.
My book is so out Nick! Thank you for the vote of confidence anyway 🙂 Fascinated by your framework for clarity, R+D, client retention and internal situational awareness and see how they would align perfectly to lift the fog. What is delightful is that it’s a new take on clarity. Clarity has an unending need to be attained and sustained. Your process sounds just the thing to do that. Thank you.
SandyMc recently posted…Five compelling reasons to get clear
And here I thought it was a new book! 🙂
Nick Armstrong recently posted…Most marketing is total bullshit.
Second book in the thinking!
SandyMc recently posted…Five compelling reasons to get clear
I know that lizard brain well. A few years ago I took a leadership development course, and one of the exercises was to draw and name our “lizards.” Mine is name Igor, and he’s mischievous. He especially likes to tell me, “Why should anyone listen to you” and “You don’t know what you’re doing”—those are the two triggers for me to have a fear response and hold off on finding clarity about why.
Excellent post, and one that reminded me to ignore Igor!
Molly McCowan recently posted…Learn How to Self-Edit Your Writing (Podcast)
Giving the Lizard a name is a a great idea. Like the idea that by naming him and understanding his attributes, you can choose to put Igor back in his box. The name Sebastian just popped into my brain, with apologies to any Sebastians reading this! Thanks Molly for coming by.
SandyMc recently posted…Five compelling reasons to get clear
Sandy this sage advice is particularly timely for me as I seek to find some clarity in my latest biz reincarnation. I realized over time my services and focus have evolved, yet the wording and branding has not kept pace. Great post to help me as I work through this. Thank you!
Nicole Fende recently posted…Excel for Creative Entrepreneurs in 3 Easy Steps (and a Bigger Bottom Line)
So hard when you are head down in the business to take stock of branding coherence. It often requires a biz reincarnation to give you that space to get clear again. Thanks Nicole for stopping by.
SandyMc recently posted…Five compelling reasons to get clear