The Art of Clarity
Clarity is about knowing what you don’t want in your life. Everyone starts with an ambition for what they want to achieve. They make a plan and intend to stick to it. The longer the plan, the better it may seem on paper. But you can never fully anticipate future distractions. That’s why you often know what you want in the long term but struggle with short-term clarity.
It’s essential to learn how to eliminate the things you don’t want. Jeff Bezos is famous for using the logic of inversion. Imagine a destination in your mind and apply the principle of inversion—what are the things that will “not” get you there? This is a prime example of eliminating distractions.
You have your final destination, your decadal plan. Now you need to put guardrails in place to protect that path from distractions that will inevitably arise at different stages of life. If you’re in your twenties and you know where you want to be, build a system to survive distractions like excessive partying, womanizing, doom-scrolling through social media, or pursuing unproductive jobs.
Here, people in their thirties have a rare advantage over the younger generation. They’ve already encountered some distractions and have a better idea of how to eliminate them. So, grab a piece of paper and write down your final destination. What are the three things you desperately want in life?
If you want a lot of money, write down how much. What are the things that can get you that kind of money? You don’t need a plan yet, just list the possibilities. The next step is to ask: what is in your control? What lies within the realm of achievable goals? If you lack a skill, you can learn it—so consider that achievable. Before long, a grand plan will emerge. Assuming you know how to eliminate the things that don’t take you to your destination, this plan will stay with you for decades.
If you seek long-term, steady relationships, take a piece of paper and write down the values of a steady partner. Then consider: what values would your ideal partner want? Do you possess those qualities without blaming others? If you lack some of them, your immediate task should be to address your personal issues. Work towards building a personality that others will want to stay with for years.
Knowing your destination at every point in life is clarity. Eliminating distractions that lead you away from that destination is your plan of action.