Kay:
Hey there Questers and welcome! It’s Tuesday, November 10th and this is episode 222. We have such a good quote for you today from one of our favorite girl mentors, Marie Forleo.
Shi:
In just 6 little words she tells us, “Clarity comes from action not thought.”
Kay:
Now Shi I feel like I’m not quite as qualified to talk about our love for Marie Forleo because you are the one who introduced her to our partnership nearly 10 years ago.
Shi:
Oh my god, she’s been a voice in our ear for a long time and I wish I could take that credit but actually, it was Mom – thanks Mom! Mom brought her forward I think in 2012 and said, “I really think that this lady’s got a lot going on and she’s running something B School,” (which was her business school where she taught you some business and entrepreneurial fundamentals and I did that class in 2013). I was pregnant. I was puking. I was so morning sick through going through B school but I made some lasting friendships that I still have to this day. I learned some incredible things, and gained a ton of value and have followed her ever since. And when her book Everything Is Figureoutable came out Kay and I consumed it – it’s SO good!
Kay:
It is so good.
Shi:
Definitely one of my top recommended books – it’s accessible, it’s funny, it’s great, and this quote is just one of many that comes from the book! And when she’s talking about gaining clarity from action (not thought), what she really means is kind of this concept that, if we take it in a Tony Robbins way. He says, “You can read books about swimming all day long but you’re not going to know how to swim till somebody throws you in the lake”. So this is really that reminder that you got to get out there in order to actually learn and gain that necessary insight into what’s going to make you be better.
Kay:
Oftentimes, unless you are solving a theoretical problem that you have to then answer orally, some form of action is required when problem-solving, right? Like you can’t just THINK yourself out of a problem.
Shi:
Even speaking is action.
Kay:
Even then, right? You can’t just think yourself out of a problem so you have to take some kind of action, even if that’s in a student situation writing down the number after thinking through a math problem like writing down the answer! That’s an action that you have to take and you might gain a little clarity after writing that down seeing whether your answer was right or it wasn’t right, by looking at how you got there or how you didn’t get there. But the action is always the thing that shows you what that next step should look like based on the result that you got. AKA: The thought just cannot take you there!
Shi:
So clarity comes from action so like really asking ourselves like what does clarity even mean?!
Kay:
The answer is not to go think about it.
Shi:
Well you know I think that clarity is really that kind of desired state of understanding what the next steps are that move you in the direction of what it is that you desire. And so, it can feel counterintuitive to think, “Well if clarity is knowing what the next step is-that’s an action.” But what we see time and time again, (and biologically speaking it is certainly displayed for us when you’re raising kids!), that it’s not till you get in the sandbox that you know how to build a castle. That you don’t know how to eat until you grab a spoon and you start trying. You know, you watch kids and everything they learn is through action. They gain clarity, and then mastery, by acting and acting continuously!
Kay:
As a parent who is currently doing the never-ending potty training battle. I would definitely attest to this! But it’s interesting. I mean, we needed to have awareness that there was the potty and then we needed awareness that the bodily functions were associated with the potty and now we need the awareness that when you feel the bodily function you have to get to the potty before they happen. Right now it’s happening where she says I have to go and we get there and she’s gone in her pants. And so it’s a gradual movement of action and every time she takes an action towards that we can either correct her and say, “Hey next time try and wait or tell us sooner.” But she doesn’t know that until she takes ACTION, and we make the association to help her move closer and closer to her goal!
Shi:
Like parenting teaches you SO much, if you’re just open to it. And gaining that clarity through that action. Like we all want to think about it. And you can and you should, but getting that clarity is taking those actions and moving in that direction and trying it out. Like lots of us think we want to be doctors. But taking action towards that is going to give you the clarity of whether that thought should become your reality and you’ll enjoy it or maybe it’s more of something that you enjoy to fantasize about and I think career chasing is one of these perfect examples for this quote.
Kay:
Well, we want you to think about this quote, but certainly also take some action in order to gain that clarity. So as a reminder, Marie Forleo says, “Clarity comes from action not thought”.
Shi:
Which brings us to the quest and it is a Clarity Quest! It’s time to play ball or go swimming or (in other words) take ACTION! Today, we want you to take action on that thing nudging at your insides and pulling on your heart strings. Don’t think about it-just DO some kind of action, and it will give you clarity. Because, as Marie tells us, Everything Is Figuroutable! Are you ready?
Kay & Shi:
Let’s quest!
