From the Outside Looking In

The view is often more clear when we aren't bogged down by immediate details.

When we are too close to something, we can miss some of the most important information.

I often hear clients tell me how they are "stuck" or cannot get out of their rut. I listen as they provide all the details of their rut or their "stuck-ness". I can relate to some of it - I'm very human, after all. I can understand the frustration of having the desire to do something different, but lacking the resources or the energy or the headspace. I can understand the disappointment of making plans but not having the ability to put them into action.

From my perspective - my "on the outside, looking in" point of view - I can also see how the details are bogging down the client and preventing forward motion. Clients that review obscure messages and cues from others, and cannot stop over analyzing their meaning... Clients that wish life was the way it used to be, but cannot find a way to get there... Clients that dream of a different career but lack the energy or resources to go get it...

The easy answer is: let go of the details, remove the barriers, and take a step forward.

But it rarely feels easy. So now what?

I'm a list person. I make lists for everything - groceries, what to pack for my trip to the beach, which chores need to get done before I can relax for the weekend. (I know, I'm a bit of a nerd.) But, this has served me very well in my efforts to stay out of the mess of the details and quickly move forward with necessary actions. My lists might get into the details, but once I write down a detail or two I no longer have to think about - or over analyze - those details.

What circumstances or situations are you faced with, that you need to step back from, in order to see them more clearly? What lists can you make that will help you to avoid getting bogged down in the details? Or, what other actions can you take to help you keep your vision clear?