This is an interesting topic. One that we don’t easily recognize in our lives. We rarely understand when we are confused. Even when we are frustrated, it’s hard for us to turn the microscope on us to see where our thinking is muddled.
Not knowing something is not to be mixed up with confusion. We either choose to learn what we don’t know or we turn away and say “oh well” and move on to something else.
Not liking something is not be be mixed up with confusion. Our interests and likes are pretty clear to us. By themselves, they are not a symptom of confusion.
A symptom of our confusion is our inability to decide something. This could be because of lack of knowledge. More common is our fear with respect to the choices we could possibly make.
Mixing up our priorities or assigning values to choices in a wrong way are things that lead to confusion. Not having a clear goal or objective in mind when deciding something adds gasoline to the fire of confusion.
I see time and time again where people offer solutions without defining the problem they are trying to solve. Many times, confusion is created because people try to solve two or more problems with one solution. Or the solution they believe in doesn’t solve the real problem. In both cases, when the solution is implemented there is failure. Then we become confused as to what went wrong.
Not seeing clearly what is in front of us and our part in the process keeps us stuck in the quicksand of confusion. All of these things lead us to feeling helpless and a little out of control. Unable to find stable ground on which to proceed.
Talking to someone could help if you promise to listen to what they tell you. They can help you get past your confusion but you need to understand that you will have to let go of some of your thinking that you are certain about. Why? Because it is just plain wrong.
You may be valuing something that is irrelevant in the long run. You may be fearing something that you should not fear. Your goal simply doesn’t match your ability at this point in time. You could be mixing up short term vs. long term goals.
So much can go wrong with our thinking. Emotion certainly adds a fog around us that makes it even harder. Step back when you become aware of your confusion. Understand that you can work through it. But to do so will mean changing some of your thoughts so that you are more aligned and capable of succeeding going forward.
Easy to say. Hard to do. But possible in each of us.