I was conducting a session with a lovely client of mine, the wonderful Camela, recently. As usual our conversation was wide-ranging, deep and beautiful.

We got on to the fraught topic of decluttering: as we’ve all been up close and personal with our homes in the last little while, I’ve noticed that many people are finding that they do not love their household objects – or at least, the preponderance of them – as much as they thought they did.

In the time we’ve worked together, Camela’s made excellent moves towards achieving the life she really wants for herself – and yet, when it comes to this… there’s one bag of clothes that has not yet made it out the door.

We talked about what it was – what set of beliefs or perspectives – that caused her resistance to just dealing with it, once and for all… as we all imagine we will, until we start, and then there’s an absolute litany of reasons/excuses/distractions and displacement activities that arise.

Camela told me she was getting stuck on the questions – “Should I go through the bag again? Do I REALLY want to get rid of this stuff?”

So I asked her “What’s the criterion for that? If you went through the bag again, what question would you be looking to answer?”

Camela: “Well – could I use this in the future? Would I wear this in the future? What if I regret throwing it out? Do I know someone who I’ll wish I’d given it to?”

Me: “Ah, the Crystal Ball Method. Excellent!”

Camela laughed – she saw through it in a second.

And really – good luck with being able to answer those questions!

But this is what we do. The coach Michael Neill says that what we fear – or dread, or would rather avoid – is not actually the UNKNOWN, but the “IMAGINED KNOWN”.

Camela’s “imagined known” here – what she’s trying to avoid – is regret, or wishing she’d done differently, or wasting money by having to buy the thing again – all reasons for future self-recrimination and blame.

The thing is – we can NEVER know the future. We simply can’t.

And we don’t ever have to, because we have a much better, stronger, wiser, navigation system. It’s called wisdom in the moment. THIS moment.

When our minds are busy attempting to predict the future, or protect us from an imagined, possible future event, then how can we possibly have a quiet mind?

How can we possibly access the quiet space within, where we find all insight and guidance?

We only ever need the wisdom and clarity that are available to us in THIS moment.

And this enables us to make good decisions, find peace, and move beyond anxiety and second-guessing.

Camela never actually needed to ask herself those questions. Her best option is always to come back to the present, and, from there, see what seems like the best move.

So, my friend, if you’re finding yourself reaching for YOUR crystal ball, remember that you have something much better, right here, right now – the ability to find clarity and wisdom by bringing your attention back home, here and now.