Monthly Archives: September 2009

When setting your sights on that next big goal, you’re entering unchartered waters. It is this unfamiliarity that you start to feel utterly confused. It’s to be expected. In fact, you should find delight in this confusion as it means you are doing something right – this discomfort is telling you that you’re growing. That’s why I pass along “6 Rules of Confusion” courtesy of Personal Development Expert, Eric Garner (http://tickledbylife.com/index.php/the-six-rules-of-confusion/). They are:

1. Put up with temporary disorganization. Your workspace is a reflection of your confusion because you are gathering information and trying out new ideas .

2. Learn to live with frustration.If you want something and don’t see a quick or an easy way to get it, then you’re bound to feel frustrated.

3. Grow roots. The state of confusion is the most important stage of goal-building as it determines whether you succeed. Think of yourself as a seed that has been sown. Then realize that your true beauty is not determined by above-ground growth, but by below-ground roots.

4. Keep asking yourself,“What’s The Lesson Here?”. Measure your progress by what you’re learning. The height of wisdom is achieved when you learn from every day confusion and frustration. It means you’re making progress, not just in your knowledge and skills, but in your personal strength too.

5. Keep your morale high and never give up. If you feel down, boost your morale. Slow down. Chill out. Think about your successes. Most of all… remember with certainty that one day soon you’ll come out of the state of confusion and be within reach of your goal.

6. Let the creative process work. If you stick with it long enough, you will eventually find your way through the confusion as your creative brain finds a way to work it all out. Initially, gathered information seems disconnected. With time, though you start to discover connections amongst all of it. Eventually…and when you least expect it … things start to fall into place. That’s when you’ll experience an “ah-ah” moment that tells you you have new insight; insight that tells you that you are now moving out of darkness that is confusion and into a bright light offering clarity.