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4 Ways That Clarity Benefits Your Creative Life · The Daily Writer

• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome everybody to the Born to Create Podcast.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Kent Sanders, and I'm your host.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an author, musician, and teacher.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: But most importantly, I'm a husband and a dad.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Here on the show we talk about practices, habits, and strategies that help us live out our creative calling.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: This is episode seven, and today we're going to be talking about four ways that clarity benefits your creative life.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: You can find the post that accompanies this episode, as well as all the links at KentSanders.net slash clarity benefits.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's clarity-benefits.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: One of the hardest things I think for any creative person to do is set limitations.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: We'd like to be free spirits, unchained and unhindered by any limiting factors.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's what being creative is all about, right?
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Actually the opposite is true.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Limitations and boundaries can be the best thing for your creative life, and they're a natural byproduct of clarity.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: When we don't have clarity in our lives, we feel stressed out and confused.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: And oftentimes we're overcommitted to roles and responsibilities that don't fit into our life goals.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Back in episode four, I discussed four key questions that give us clarity.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: The question of identity, which is who am I, the question of purpose, which is why am I here.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: The question of audience, which is who am I serving, and the question of work, which is what should I be doing.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now it's a mistake to view these questions and the answers they produce as giving us limitations that kill our creativity.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, it's better to see them as boosters that can help us fly even higher in our creative lives and in our lives in general.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Specifically, there are four ways that clarity benefits your creative life.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Number one is that clarity gives you energy.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Clarity gives you energy because you know who you are, why you're here, who you're serving, and what you should be doing.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: And that knowledge and confidence of knowing those things gives you tremendous momentum to overcome all kinds of challenges.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: But there's also great power in knowing who you're not, knowing what you're not here to do, knowing who you're not serving, and knowing what you shouldn't be doing.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: Clarity helps eliminate options, and fewer options means that you have more energy and momentum.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, clarity gives you direction.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine that you're standing in a room with ten open doors and you're wearing a blindfold.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: How can you choose the right door when you can't even see clearly?
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: You'll just stand there paralyzed because you don't want to make the wrong choice.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: But the more that you know yourself and what you're here to do, the more you can recognize which doors are closed and which ones are open.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: When you have clarity in your life, it's like removing the blindfolds of confusion and apathy.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, clarity gives you a plan.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: The whole topic of time management and productivity is really frustrating for a lot of people.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: The reason is not because they're not motivated, rather, the reason is because their lack of clarity prevents them from being productive.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: You can't be productive if you don't know what you should be producing in the first place.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: But when you have clarity in your life, it's much easier and I think a lot more fun to develop a plan for your work, for your networking, your personal growth, and other areas related to your creative life.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: You're kind of like Luke Skywalker in an X-Wing, getting ready for a Death Star trench run.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: The target is unmistakable, and there's no doubt you'll know whether or not you hit it.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, clarity gives you courage.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: This might be the most important benefit of clarity.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: When you have it in your life, you have the courage to say no to commitments that don't align with your vision and your priorities.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean you suddenly become a selfish ogre who's unwilling to give their time to anybody, but it does mean that you now put a lot more value on fulfilling your creative calling than just making everybody else happy.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Clarity also gives you the courage to say yes to the right people and opportunities that'll help you make the best contribution possible to the world.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: So here's the bottom line.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: When you clearly know who you are and what you should be doing, you have incredible momentum to pursue your calling.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Clarity is like a riverbank that'll give you direction and take you where you need to go.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: What are the biggest benefits that clarity has brought to your life?
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear your thoughts.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: You can join the conversation and find the post and the links that accompany this episode at Kent Sanders.net slash Clarity Benefits.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's Clarity Dash Benefits.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: When you visit my site, you'll find all kinds of great resources to inspire your creative life.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'd also love to share a gift with you when you subscribe to my newsletter.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: You can check it out as well as learn more about my books, writing, and services at KentSanders.net.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to connect and you can tweet me at Kent Sanders, and you can find me on Facebook and Instagram as simply Kent Sanders.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: I also hope that you'll check out our Born to Create Facebook group by visiting Kent Sanders.net slash Facebook group.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that you were born to create and designed to make a difference.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: What will you do with the time you have left?