The Power of Convicted Clarity

Books Referenced

Start with Why - Simon Sinek

Find your Why - Simon Sinek

How will you Measure your Life - Clayton Christensen

Clarity precedes mastery.

Clarity precedes effective action.

Clarity ensures you know where you are going, how you plan to get there, and who is coming with you.

Clarity is a requirement for becoming unstoppable.

But without an additional factor, a clear goal can shift. It can disappear because you have gotten bored. It can shift because your current path is hard. You might give up on a clear goal because you have lost interest in it.

When you add this factor, obstacles become less of a problem. Boredom is no longer an issue. People gravitate toward your purpose. You can lead others with inspiration.

So, what is this other factor?

It is conviction.

It is a strong belief.

Conviction is the emotional foundation that supports the clarity you create.

Clarity is knowing your goal.

Convicted clarity is having a strong why behind your goal.

Convicted Clarity

Nietzsche famously said that a man with a strong why can bear almost any how.

Think about times you have struggled in the past.

What kept you moving forward?

It may have been your values. It may have been your support structure, like family or friends. It may have been your commitment to yourself. It may have been your purpose.

You may be aware of your purpose right now. You may have convictions and things you believe strongly in.

For example, one of my convictions (strongly held beliefs) is that people are capable of great things. And if we can create a world where people are enabled and empowered to achieve their dreams, then I believe we all will win. Because we will be getting the best of people.

This conviction is a constant source of motivation for me. I want to see people win. And selfishly, I want to benefit from the wins that other people achieve.

If I help a leader achieve more by helping them lean into their authentic style, then their team wins. If their team wins, then their organization wins. If their company wins, they make better products and offer better services. And those are products and services I may want to consume. In this case we all win.

People are drawn to those who have conviction. Simon Sinek spoke about this in his TED talk and book. He stated, “people don’t buy what you do they buy why you do it.”

Of course he is speaking about companies.

But the same goes for leadership and followership. We are drawn to those who have strong beliefs, especially if those beliefs are aligned with our own.

When you have convicted clarity, you will notice a few things:

• You have a constant source of motivation and fuel for discipline
• You are more likely to attract the attention and followership of others
• You are more likely to achieve your goals

If these sound great to you, then let’s now talk about how to create convicted clarity.

What is the Impact You Want to Have

Let’s begin with the end in mind.

What do you want?

What impact do you want to have?

If you are not sure, think back to experiences you had where you were impacted (either positively or negatively).

Who had an impact on you?

Maybe you had a boss who was the best mentor ever?

Maybe you had a boss who was the worst and you want to teach others how to avoid their pitfalls.

Maybe you worked on a project that made a big impact on other people and you want to continue that effort.

Whatever it is, look back to old stories and experiences. Ask yourself why that experience mattered.

For me, I had a mentor while I served as an intern at The Institute of Human Performance in Boca Raton, Florida. I worked with a few coaches down there, and there was one coach, named Rhadi, who had this way of blending support and challenge. He helped me achieve things that summer that I didn’t think were possible.

He had an impact on me as a person. He helped me realize I was capable of way more than I thought.

I want others to experience this same impact.

Check in with yourself and your experiences.

If you really want to create conviction, make sure the impact you want to make is larger than yourself.

Serving only yourself does keep the fires burning.

Earning more money so you can buy a nicer car will not maintain your emotional motivation when compared to having a larger impact on others.

Clayton Christensen writes about this in his book How Will You Measure Your Life. He notes how important it is to contribute to a purpose larger than ourselves.

So, think of the impact you want to have on others.

Why is it important to you?

Take a moment to connect to the emotional why behind this impact.

Align your Values

Your convictions must be anchored to your values and identity.

If they are not, then you will experience a false conviction, and it will not hold over time.

As an example, one of my values is inspiration. It is important to me that people feel inspired to do great things. I desire inspiration, I want to inspire others, and I want other people to inspire others.

A project without inspiration is a project worth skipping.

So, as I work with clients and teach others, inspiration must be a part of the process. I was once asked to help create a new training manual for new-hires and the process was so draining and mind-numbing. There was nothing inspirational about it. It was all just listing out rules and procedures for people to follow.

For some individuals, this is exactly the kind of work they want to. They may have a value of accuracy or compliance. But I need inspiration.

Consider your values and how they support your goals.

Create your Why Statement

You know what you want.

You know why.

Now write it down.

I like Simon Sinek’s simple method for this: State your objective or contribution and the impact.

You can write this out by saying “I (insert objective) so that (insert impact).”

Personally, I look at and rewrite my why statement almost every day.

“I help people become unstoppable. I want to live in a world where people are empowered and enabled to achieve their dreams. If this happens, we all win.”

This statement is a constant reminder of what I want and why.

After creating your why statement, you now have a visible reminder of your purpose and goals.

We can leverage this statement to prime our brains for action.

By reading and rewriting your statement on a regular basis, you prime your brain to seek out opportunities that align with your mission.

You may have a different method for creating reminders.

Maybe a sticky note on a mirror.

Maybe keeping it written on a note card.

Regardless, there is value in reminding yourself of your goals and your why.

Leverage it.

The Wrap Up

Clarity of purpose creates consistency of action.

Create clarity on what you want… But also create conviction around those goals.

Why is this important to you? What is so important that will keep you fueled through the hard times?

As obstacles arise, it is the deeper connection to your goals that will keep you moving.

Not the superficial goals that sound good on paper.

So, clarify your what and why.

Align them to your values.

Write down your purpose statement.

And get after it.

I’m rooting for you, friends.

Keep crushing it!

Clark