From Chaos to Clarity

Every day I meet people who want clarity. 

They are stuck in limbo - that place that creates a crazy-making state of mind as they try to figure out the next step or right decision to move forward.  It can be one of the most challenging stages of the growth process.  To not know which direction to turn can be very disorienting and overwhelming.  Quite simply, it can feel like chaos. 

I’ve heard some gurus refer to this as “the beautiful destruction.”  They say that something needs to crumble to the ground before new insights can be accessed. A mental breakdown often precedes the birth of a new awareness. It’s imperative to find a safe, supportive group or person to help you weather the storms that often accompany these transitions.

And yet, in the midst of all this turmoil, I see a pattern emerge:  to get to clarity you often must first travel through the chaos.  Sometimes you have to wander through the desert before you can glimpse the oasis. 

Last year I read “The Hobbit” and it perfectly illustrates this process.  Every time the timid hobbit enters a dark forest or some new and unknown territory, he experiences an overwhelming fear and immediately says to himself “I wish I were back in my cozy hobbit hole.”  You can tell that his life is both externally and internally disrupted on all levels. But also you notice that as he presses forward into the chaos, taking every challenge head on and facing his fears, eventually he comes out the other side with a new confidence, a fresh perspective, and clear sense of direction he was unable to achieve before he left his comfortable hobbit hole.   

Why must it be this way? Are there any shortcuts?

I have yet to untangle this mystery. But I CAN assure you that over time, you will come to more fully trust the process. You may integrate a new belief that in due time, the clarity will inevitably come. And just like the little hobbit, you will emerge on the other side with faith in yourself, knowing that as you lean into the questions, you will start live your way into the answers.