Soul Joy: Ditch Burnout and Fall in Love with Life

Clarity to Action: Unleashing Your Professional Superpower

• Dr. Julie Merriman • Season 2 • Episode 19

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Ever found yourself trapped in a cycle of endless analysis with no forward movement? You're not alone. The space between knowing what to do and actually doing it is where many helpers get stuck—and it's costing us our effectiveness and wellbeing.

The connection between clarity and action represents the essential bridge in our work as helping professionals. While we excel at seeking understanding—about our clients' needs, ethical dilemmas, therapeutic approaches—clarity alone creates no change. Without translating our insights into tangible steps, even the most profound understanding remains theoretical, benefiting no one.

This clarity-action relationship operates as a powerful feedback loop. Clarity naturally fuels more decisive action, but what's often overlooked is how action itself generates further clarity. You don't need 100% certainty before taking a step forward—sometimes that small, calculated action provides exactly the feedback needed to refine your approach. For overthinking helpers, this perspective shift is liberating.

What breaks this vital link? Fear of failure and judgment often paralyze us, making us hesitate when we should move forward. Perfectionism keeps us waiting for ideal conditions that never arrive. Even with overall understanding, uncertainty about the precise next step can halt progress. Most fundamentally, a lack of psychological safety—feeling unsafe to take risks—undermines our ability to act.

Strengthen your clarity-action bridge by defining the smallest possible next step, embracing the 80% rule (recognizing that partial clarity is enough to begin), creating psychological safety for yourself, implementing time blocking, developing a bias toward action, and connecting each step to your deeper purpose. These practical strategies transform overwhelming situations into manageable forward movement.

Ready to break free from analysis paralysis? Visit souljoypodcast.com for weekly activities designed to help you build momentum in your practice and prevent burnout. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and join a community of helpers who are learning to balance clarity with courageous action.

Speaker 1:

Hey y'all, this is Dr Julie Merriman, and welcome to SoulJoy. Today we continue exploring, balancing the third eye chakra, by talking about a powerful dynamic that underpins a successful practice, the crucial connection between clarity and action, because, y'all this is a very necessary component of holistic, sustainable self-care. All right, all right, all right, welcome. I am so glad that y'all popped in to join me for just a hot minute today. So I always start with just a little home chat, and right now what's on my mind is a fun weekend we've got planned with Blakers, our youngest son, and Nicole, his lovely wife. We're going to check out McKinney when it's I mean, my husband's from Plano, so McKinney really isn't a. That's his stomping grounds growing up. But what we're checking out is a little community called the Adriatic Village. My daughter-in-law found this. It's like a little slice of Italy right there in McKinney, texas. And then we're going to check out Wilson's Creek. That's where my husband's grandmother grew up. Of course, the homestead isn't there anymore, it's walking trails and such, but it'd be kind of fun to check out where she rode her horse and such back in the early 1900s. So anyway, I think it's going to be a fun weekend and I'm tickled to get to spend it with my kiddos. So that's what's going on, well, and my husband. That's what's going on at the Merriman Compound this week.

Speaker 1:

Okay, professional helpers, this podcast is dedicated to preventing and overcoming occupational hazards of this amazing career that we've chosen, and those hazards are burnout, compassion, fatigue and vicarious trauma. So, as helping professionals, we are inherently seekers of clarity Clarity about our clients' needs, clarity about ethical dilemmas, clarity about our therapeutic approach and clarity about our own professional purpose. Right, we spend countless hours striving for insight, for understanding and for a clear path forward. I mean, that's part of what we do. But clarity in and of itself is only half the equation. What that's right? That's only half the equation. The other, equally vital, half is action. Clarity without action is a waste of time. Think about it. You might have the most profound insight into a client's core issue, but if you don't translate that into a therapeutic intervention, a referral or a shift in approach, the insight remains theoretical. You might have a perfectly clear understanding of a systemic problem, but without taking steps to advocate or collaborate, that understanding won't, cannot lead to change.

Speaker 1:

So today we'll explore why it's this connection that is so critical. What often breaks the link between clarity and action. We're going to explore that and how we can strengthen this bridge to become more impactful, less overwhelmed and truly effective in our roles. So let's define these terms in our context, okay.

Speaker 1:

So clarity this is about knowing what you need to do right. You're clear on it, you know why you need to do it and how you might do it. It's the precision of understanding, the sharp focus y'all on the goal and the clear identification of the path. And to do this it involves cognitive clarity understanding the concepts, problems, solutions. It involves emotional clarity understanding your own and others' feelings and how they impact the situation. And I mean for us, that's rich. There's a lot there, Not only because it's eminently important to help our clients explore that and lead to that, but it's eminently important as well, y'all, for us to explore our own. We don't need to be a psychotherapist sitting in an office who's never taken the time to explore their own emotions and how things you know, how life has impacted us. So emotional clarity is really important and purposeful clarity knowing your why, your values, mission and the desire to outcome that's important. Mission and the desire to outcome, that's important.

Speaker 1:

But action, on the other hand, is the tangible step right, it's the in our world. The treatment plan, right, the smart treatment plan. You know, the specific, measurable, attainable. I mean the smart treatment plan. But okay, so action is the tangible step, the forward movement, the implementation of that understanding. It's the difference between knowing what needs to be done and actually doing it. What needs to be done and actually doing it. And action can be y'all. It can be a direct intervention with your client, it can be a conversation with a colleague or supervisor, maybe it's a policy proposal, maybe a self-care boundary that you implement, or perhaps a moment of mindful presence. The relationship between clarity and action is symbiotic and bidirectional. Okay, y'all. Clarity fuels action. When you have a clear picture of the problem and potential solutions, you're more likely to take decisive steps.

Speaker 1:

Ambiguity and there's a lot of it in this field, there's a lot of gray areas. But for the sake of this discussion, ambiguity breeds paralysis of this discussion. Ambiguity breeds paralysis. If you're unsure of your role or the next step, an action is often the default, and that paralysis can feel awful.

Speaker 1:

Action refines clarity. This is the often underestimated part. You don't always need 100% clarity before you act. In fact, that's sometimes hard to get to. Sometimes, taking a small, calculated action is precisely what generates further clarity. It allows you to test a hypothesis, to gather new information and to adjust your understanding. That is so true. I can't tell you how many times I've launched a website. And well, the very first one I was in analysis paralysis and I wasn't putting it out there because it wasn't perfect. But now I don't even think about it. I have clarity about what I want to happen. But that action of actually putting it up and then coming back and looking at it and refining really helps me Y'all. It's like a feedback loop you act, you learn, you gain more clarity and then you can take more informed action.

Speaker 1:

So why is this connection so critical for professional helpers? Well, client progress. Let's explore that Y'all. Our clients need us to be clear and decisive. While we empower our clients to act, our own clear actions, such as structuring a session, providing specific resources, making ethical decisions this provides the framework for their progress. I mean, that's the science of what we do, along with our theories.

Speaker 1:

Also, overcoming overwhelm when we are operating with this connection with clarity and action, this helps to overcome overwhelm. Our work is often complex and feeling overwhelmed frequently stems y'all from having a lot of clarity about problems, but a lack of clarity on the next action step. I see this with my students as they're learning this counseling process and I can't tell you how often when we're in supervision they talk about this overwhelm. But it happens because they don't have that pattern of information from so many sessions having been done that they've created a clarity of the next step. But I think this can get in even for us seasoned folks. I think this can get in the way when we forget exactly how important clarity and action are in connection. That next step is very important. Okay, I'm clear about this. Now, what? Breaking down complex situations into small, actionable tasks helps us to reduce overwhelm.

Speaker 1:

We want to prevent analysis paralysis, as I spoke about a moment ago with the website. Yeah, we are thinkers. That's what we are trained to do. We're trained analyzers, we're trained empathizers, and this can lead to getting stuck in endless deliberation, constantly seeking more information or waiting for the perfect solution that doesn't exist. Paralysis, where clarity becomes a trap rather than a springboard. Okay, so, yeah, yeah, think about that when we get into paralysis this analysis paralysis it's a trap and it doesn't help us to move forward. So we have to just make peace that it might not be perfect, but we're going to put it out there, we're going to try this, we're going to make this action happen instead of just sitting and spiraling. And next, we have to consider building confidence and self-trust. Each time you translate clarity into effective action, you build a deeper sense of competence and self-trust, you prove to yourself that your insights are valid and that you can translate them into meaningful impact. So, y'all, what often breaks this vital link and how can we, as professional helpers, as humans, strengthen this?

Speaker 1:

Okay, so in my research and analysis, I didn't get into paralysis, but I did analyze. I came up with some common barriers to action, despite we might have clarity. So the first is fear of failure, fear of making that mistake. We're afraid of getting it wrong, especially with high stakes, and I have a whole podcast on my belief about mistakes. I think mistakes, our society does not embrace mistakes like we should, and I don't believe there are failures or mistakes. I think if we approach it with our frontal lobe, fully engaged, we can see that this is a beautiful learning experience that, had we not made that mistake, would never have had the opportunity to learn. The other, or another bullet point I found is fear of criticism or judgment, and this happens a lot. What will others think if this action doesn't work out? That's where shame, embarrassment, things from our inner child that perhaps isn't healed will come up and really slap us in the face. And listen to last week's episode, not last week's, it would be episode 17, I believe that I did on inner child work. It might've been 18. Anyway, it's in the episodes, but inner child work is very important as we're trying to get to this point of clarity connecting to action.

Speaker 1:

The next bullet point is perfectionism. We're waiting for that ideal moment or the flawless plan, like my website that I sat on for probably six months once upon a time, no more, and I've had numerous websites since then. I put that bad boy up there and make some improvements as I go back and look at it, but perfectionism, it doesn't happen. There's not going to be a flawless plan. Next bullet point unclear next step. Even with overall clarity, the very next micro action isn't always obvious and that's where we seek supervision, that's where we join in masterminds, that's where we're in some maybe Facebook groups with other professional helpers, where we can get a bigger picture of what next steps might look like. We continue to train 30 years in I'm still going to trainings and learning because I'm never done and to get clarity of what that next step might be. Continuous training is very helpful might be continuous training is very helpful.

Speaker 1:

The next bullet point is lack of psychological safety. That's y'all, y'all. That's when you feel unsafe to take risks or make decisions, and that's something I really try to instill in my students and my supervisees. I want us, I want all of us, I want my students, I want my supervisees to feel very safe to make a mistake, because we're going to, because when we feel safe to make a mistake, y'all, we're going to take that risk, we're going to go ahead and make those decisions and we're going to grow in those efforts. So those are some bullet points I came up with and I also looked at some strategies to strengthen the clarity action bridge. Right, think of it as a bridge you're building. Here's the clarity. I've got to cross this bridge into action.

Speaker 1:

So you want to define the next, smallest action. If a task feels overwhelming, don't focus on the end goal. Ask yourself what's the absolute, smallest, easiest step I can take right now. This reduces the barrier to entry and it helps you build momentum. What might might? I can't talk. What might that look like, jules? Well, so instead of develop a new treatment plan, think open the client's file, right. You can read what's in there and you're going to get inspired as you're reading through your notes, reading through the last treatment plan, reading through progress. It's the absolute smallest, easiest step to build momentum. I'm talking about in your therapy office, but you can also do that at home. I mean, what we're talking about here works in your professional and private lives.

Speaker 1:

Next, you want to embrace the 80% rule. I know you've heard of this. Do not wait for 100% clarity. Often y'all that 80% clarity is enough to take that first informed action. The remaining 20% will likely reveal itself through that action. This is about being action oriented, not perfection oriented. Perfection oriented is it's an awful place to be. Don't do that to yourself. Move to action oriented. Next, you want to cultivate the psychological safety for yourself. You want to create an internal environment where it's okay to try, it's okay to learn and even give yourself permission to make mistakes. It's going to happen. You've got to remind yourself that action isn't about being flawless. Action is about learning and adapting. This also extends to seeking supportive supervision. This also extends to seeking supportive supervision, peer consultation, where it's safe to debrief your actions so valuable.

Speaker 1:

I can remember a time I was in a couple session and I just kind of froze up. Something about what the couple was doing triggered something inside me. Now I was able to get myself back together and in the session and, you know, move forward. But fortunately in that moment and it could be when we look at giving yourself permission you know that psychological safety. I had done that for myself and fortunately I was in a group practice and a colleague had had a no-show and I was able to walk across the hallway and receive peer consultation in that moment and understand what had happened. The couple began kind of sparring with each other and y'all know couples work can be tricky, but they began kind of sparring with each other and y'all know couples work can be tricky, but they began kind of sparring with each other. That triggered something like my mom and dad had done. So my eight-year-old Julie showed up in the office and through that peer consultation I was able to reach an understanding about that. That helped me tremendously in my other sessions with couples. But had I not given myself that psychological safety, to admit man, something didn't feel right about that and go across the hallway and talk with my colleague I wouldn't have grown.

Speaker 1:

The next thing you want to look at is time blocking and prioritization. Even a clear action won't happen if you don't allocate time for it. You've got to use time management techniques to create space for essential tasks, especially the ones that move the needle. I've got a whole chapter about time management in my book, soul Joy, and I've done several podcasts on those as well, and I mean there's a plethora of resources on time management, but we can preach it, but I'm inviting you to do it for yourself as well.

Speaker 1:

Next, you want to look at being able to develop a bias towards action, and this means for you to consciously challenge analysis, paralysis. When you find yourself overthinking who does that? I know I'm raising my hand or you find yourself deliberating too long, you learn to ask yourself what simple action can I take to test this idea or move forward slightly? A simple action we're not saying get the whole damn thing done. We're talking about a simple action to move you towards action, develop a bias towards action Okay. Next, you want to reflect on action outcome loops Okay. So what this means is that you're regularly reflecting on the actions you took and their outcomes what worked, what didn't work, what new clarity did you gain? This reinforces the positive feedback loop between action and clarity.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and the last one is to connect action to purpose. This is where you remind yourself of your why. Your why is important when action feels difficult. Reconnecting to that larger purpose and I've got a whole chapter on this in the book too you reconnect to that larger purpose, your values, and this provides, or should help to provide, motivation needed for you to move forward, motivation needed for you to move forward. Okay, so, y'all, in our dynamic and often unpredictable professions, the ability to seamlessly transition from clarity to action is not just a skill, it's a superpower. It allows you to remain agile, responsive and, ultimately, profoundly impactful for your client.

Speaker 1:

Don't let your valuable insights remain trapped in theory, and I'm not talking about CBT or DBT or Gestalt. I'm talking about this. Clarity is good, I like this clarity, and you just sit there without acting on the clarity you deserve to be able to, to allow yourself to take that courageous next step, however small it may seem, because doing it well, even before I go there, y'all, I can remember I dreamed about getting my PhD back before I ever had a bachelor's degree, and that journey is an interesting one in and of itself, which could be a podcast, because I didn't start college until Blakers was about six months old, so 24, 25. But I knew, I dreamed I longed to have my PhD and be a professor and be a counselor and all that razzmatazz. But it felt just overwhelming and unattainable. But I took a courageous next step. I enrolled in one class in college one class, and I did well in that. And I took the next class and, before I knew it, I had a PhD. A lot of years in between that. But I'm telling you, you got to take the step or nothing's going to happen. Yeah, because it's in doing that true change and profound clarity are forged.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so, before we go into the activity, I want to invite you to subscribe to my email list, because I want you getting this weekly podcast in your inbox with the PDF that I create for you each week of the activity. All you have to do is hop on over. Got some pretty nice treats on the website, so I really invite you to hop over there and check it out. Okay so the activity this week I call From Insight to Impact, clarity in Action and y'all. It's through self-reflection and practical exercises that you're going to explore the relationship between clarity and action in your professional life, and you can move that into your personal life as well. Move that into your personal life as well. But this activity will help you develop strategies to bridge the gap between insight and impact.

Speaker 1:

Okay so, step one I want you to identify areas for action. So this would require I mean you can do it as you're driving, just thinking, but ideally when you get home replaying this portion of the podcast so you can do this for yourself but finding a space where you can focus without interruption and think about examples and strategies that we discussed in this podcast. And I want you to identify two to three specific situations in your professional life We'll start there where you have clarity, insight, understanding, but you're struggling to take the action. Be as concrete as possible. Maybe it's I understand the need for better boundaries with clients, but I struggle to implement them. Or I know I need to address a communication issue with a colleague, but I'm avoiding that conversation. Or I have a clear vision for a new program, but I haven't started the planning process. Process, rather, could be progress. So that's step one. You identify.

Speaker 1:

Step two you're going to explore barriers to action. For each step, for each situation that you identify in step one, explore the barriers that are preventing you from taking that action. This could be you considering the following you know what fears might be holding you back fear of failure, fear of conflict. What limiting beliefs are at play? I'm not good enough, it won't make a difference. What practical obstacles might exist? Lack of time, lack of resources, what emotional factors are influencing your inaction? Overwhelm, lack of motivation. So you take some time to consider those barriers. And then, in step three, you define and this one's powerful, I love this one. You define the next smallest action For each situation you break, for each situation in number two.

Speaker 1:

Step two I want you to brainstorm at least three next smallest actions you could take. And remember y'all these should be extremely small, extremely easy steps, not the entire solution. So what would that look like, jules? Well, I'm going to tell you Instead of implement better boundaries, the smallest action might be write down three boundary statements I can use Instead of address communication issue. The next smallest action might be schedule a 15-minute meeting with a colleague Instead of start planning a new program. The next smallest step action could be brainstorm three potential program components. Maybe you want to develop a coaching program. What are three components in that?

Speaker 1:

Well, I want to talk about setting boundaries. I want to talk about communication. I want to talk about the easiest way to make money, whatever it might be. It's in you. You just need to you're willing to commit to implementing in the next 48 hours. I want you to include the specific action, the exact time you're going to do it, any resources or support you might need and a brief statement of your commitment to taking this action. Okay, okay, so there's four steps here, and the first step is to identify areas for action. Then you explore barriers to action. Then you define the next smallest action. Then you create an action plan and your commitment to those. All right, so that's it for this episode of Soul Joy. Thanks for seeking clarity and having the courage to act. Please subscribe to my podcast, wherever you listen, and leave a review, and until next time, take care of you.