This post links to my previous post: Why Uncertainty Is the Only Way to Find Clarity

The Illusion of Clarity

Everyone tells you to “get clear” before you start.
But clarity isn’t the beginning of movement.
It’s the result of it.

And the truth?
Unclarity is not the enemy. It’s the path.
The longer you try to eliminate it, the longer you stay stuck.

We treat clarity like oxygen. Something essential before we leap.
But most of the time, we use it as a shield.
A reason to delay.
A rational mask for fear.

Fear of getting it wrong.
Fear of being judged.
Fear of not being enough.

So we stay where we are.
Overthinking. Overplanning. Over-preparing.
Waiting for confidence to show up before we act.

And we never move.

What’s at Risk If You Don’t Act

You’ll spend months, maybe even years, waiting for a perfect plan.
Waiting to be sure.
Waiting to feel ready.

But clarity doesn’t work like that.

Waiting for it only delays the one thing that creates it.
Movement.

Carl Rogers, one of the most respected psychologists of the last century, put it simply:

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”

Clarity works the same way.

You don’t wait for it to begin.
You earn it by moving before you feel ready.

The Perfect Plan Is a Lie

We’ve been sold a formula.
Get clear.
Make a plan.
Execute.
Win.

Sounds clean. Feels smart.
But it’s not how anything real works.

The moment life pushes back, plans fall apart.
And when that happens, most people double down.
They assume the plan just wasn’t detailed enough.
So they plan harder.

But the issue was never the vision.
It was the lack of movement.

Dwight Eisenhower said it best:

“Plans are useless. But planning is indispensable.”

Planning helps. But worshipping clarity?
That’s just fear in a lab coat.

My Obsession With Clarity

Years ago, I wanted to start a business. Actually, seven.
I went all in on research.
I built models. Wrote up forecasts. Designed logos.

Each idea felt solid.
Each one looked good on paper.

And I launched none of them.

Why?

Because I was scared.
Scared they’d flop.
Scared I would flop.
Scared people would find out I didn’t have it all figured out.

I clung to clarity because it felt safe.
Because it made me look smart.
But the truth? I was hiding from the work.
From the emotional risk of trying.

So I stayed in motion without progress.
And clarity never came.

Clarity Is Not Found. It’s Built.

This is the part most people miss.
You don’t find clarity. You build it.

It shows up when you do.
In action. In friction. In feedback.

It happens when you hit publish before you’re ready.
When you say what you really mean, even if your voice shakes.
When you take the step before the path is obvious.

Barry Schwartz, who wrote The Paradox of Choice, found that the more we think through options, the less clear we become.

Clarity doesn’t come from more thinking.
It comes from cutting through the noise with action.

The Clarity Loop

Here’s how it actually works:

Unclarity – You feel stuck, uncertain, overwhelmed
Movement – You act anyway, without guarantees
Feedback – The world responds, or your gut does
Clarity – Now you can see what fits and what doesn’t

Action creates insight.
Clarity follows courage.
Overthinking is just fear in a nicer outfit.

What We’re Really Avoiding

Most of the time, feeling unclear isn’t a logic problem.
It’s an emotional one.

What if I try and fail?
What if I’m not who I thought I was?
What if I waste time or lose face?

That’s what we’re actually hiding from.

So we buffer with more planning.
With strategy. With spreadsheets.

But Kierkegaard had it right:

“Life can only be understood backwards. But it must be lived forwards.”

We try to flip that.
To get enough certainty upfront that we never have to feel lost.
But being lost is part of the way.

It’s where the path begins.

Your Next Chapter Is Built in Motion

This isn’t just about clarity.
It’s about trust.

In yourself.
In your ability to walk through the fog.
In the idea that clarity is not given. It’s earned.

Jean-Paul Sartre believed that meaning isn’t found. It’s created through choice.
And that’s exactly how clarity works.

You don’t wait to discover who you are.
You build it by choosing who you want to become.
In motion.

Clarity isn’t the entry point.
It’s the reward.

I still wrestle with clarity.
Every time I step into something bigger, the fog comes back.

But I see it differently now.

I don’t wait to feel ready.
I move from values.
From intuition.
From honesty with myself.

And as I move, clarity meets me where I am.

Now, What?

If you’ve been waiting to “get clear,” this is your sign.

Not to leap without thought.
But to take one small, honest step.

Not because you’re sure it’s right.
But because it’s real.

That’s how trust grows.
And trust becomes the soil where everything bold is built.

Your Challenge

Grab a pen.
Write down the thing you’ve been circling.
The idea you’ve been researching.
The project you keep postponing.

Now ask yourself:

What’s the smallest honest move I can make toward this today?

Then do it.

Not because you know it’ll work.
But because it’s yours to do.

And tomorrow?
Do it again.

Clarity will come.
Because you created it.