Why Choosing Can Sometimes Mean First Letting Go

Most people say they want clarity.

What they usually mean is reassurance — that they can keep doing everything they’re currently doing, just with a bit more confidence.

Real clarity doesn’t work like that.

Clarity asks for a trade-off.

When you decide what truly matters, you also decide what doesn’t.

And that’s the part most people quietly resist.

Because clarity can also mean:

• letting some good ideas go
• disappointing a few people
• accepting that you can’t pursue everything at once

That can feel uncomfortable.

Exposing.

And it can feel strangely like loss.

I’ve noticed this in my own work this year.

There are things I could be doing — projects, content, ideas — but that I’ve deliberately chosen not to pursue (at least not for now). Not because they’re wrong, but because they would dilute the focus I’m trying to protect.

And that protection matters more than novelty.

Because the truth is that if everything feels important, nothing really is.

Clarity isn’t motivating in the way productivity culture promises.

It doesn’t give you a rush.

What it gives you is something quieter — steadiness, direction, and fewer internal negotiations.

So here’s the question I’ve been asking myself this week and I’m going to invite you to ask yourseelf, too:

What would you need to stop doing in order to give your best energy to what actually matters?

Not forever.

Just for now.