Chapter 4
The CLEAR WAY Framework: A Roadmap to Authentic Success
Finding your authentic path requires courage to become who you truly are. The CLEAR WAY framework provides eight interconnected keys for professional success and fulfillment:
**C: Cultivate a State Where Clarity Is Possible**
Most people mistakenly believe that gathering more information and creating comprehensive pro/con lists will lead to clarity. This analytical approach often falls short because clarity isn't primarily an intellectual achievement but a state of awareness that can be intentionally cultivated. When recalling moments of clear decision-making, people consistently describe a quiet mind where decisions felt simple and physically right, using words like "calm focus," "peaceful," and "expansive."
**L: Learn How to Dream Effectively**
This component explores your relationship with dreaming and goal-setting, addressing how most people unconsciously limit their dreams. Coleman distinguishes between dreams powered by fear versus those powered by love, noting that while fear can motivate temporarily, dreams powered by love create sustainable momentum. He also helps identify dreams influenced by others versus those from your heart, noting that living someone else's dream is like being under the influence-eventually, the effects wear off.
**E: Enlist a Vision That Is a Sacred YES!**
A Sacred YES creates an inner resonance that feels right at your core, regardless of whether it triggers excitement or terror. By collecting clues from people who inspire you and analyzing what specifically moves you about them, you can identify what you truly value. This process often reveals that you're further along than you realize-you already possess many of the qualities you admire in others, just in earlier stages of development.
**A: Access Your Personal Success Formula**
Rather than following someone else's path, this component helps you discover your unique recipe for success. Coleman introduces two approaches to action/feedback loops: the ineffective linear approach (which assumes that if an action fails, the entire vision was wrong) versus the more effective approach that uses feedback to refine the action plan while maintaining the vision. Understanding your personal commitment style and motivation triggers creates a replicable formula for success.
**R: Receive Maximum Return on Your Energy Investments**
Energy management requires balancing both inflows and outflows while evaluating the ROI on your energy investments. Coleman suggests conducting a comprehensive audit of where energy is being invested, including obvious commitments but also unfinished projects, unkept agreements, and energy spent maintaining past trauma or worrying about the future. By identifying and closing major "energy leaks" while increasing your capacity to receive energy, you create sustainable momentum.
**W: Wire Resistance to Work for You**
Resistance isn't a sign to stop-it's confirmation you're stretching beyond your comfort zone. Like stretching a rubber band, you'll feel increasing tension as you push past familiar set points. This tension is actually valuable feedback indicating growth. By learning to work through resistance rather than retreating from it, you can permanently elevate your set points and achieve your goals more effectively.
**A: Align Thoughts and Emotions for Success**
Success requires aligning three distinct "selves": the Higher Self (Heart/Inner Wisdom) that generates our vision, the personality self (mind and emotions), and the physical body. Most people believe events directly cause feelings, missing the crucial step between event and feeling: interpretation. By recognizing this gap, you gain freedom to choose how you respond rather than being enslaved to external circumstances.
**Y: Yield Financial Results That You Desire**
Most clients struggle with discussing money neutrally due to unhealthy childhood environments. Developing the ability to discuss money like weather is essential for successful compensation negotiations and business fundraising. Coleman emphasizes separating net worth from self-worth and identifying limiting money beliefs that may be holding you back.
Chapter 5
Cultivating the Clarity State: The Foundation for Transformation
"Finding requires giving up the game of seeking." This profound insight captures the essence of Coleman's approach to clarity. Most professionals believe they need to figure things out through research, career tests, or job searches before moving forward. Despite these valuable activities, they often remain stuck for months or years because they're approaching clarity from the wrong angle.
Clarity is better understood as a state of awareness or being-not just the product of thinking exercises or research. It's a skill anyone can cultivate, making all other career exploration activities more effective. Even with extensive information gathering, the mind eventually becomes overwhelmed, especially when emotions and social influences create "gray areas" that logical analysis cannot resolve.
A crucial distinction separates those who remain stuck from those who progress: waiting for complete vision clarity versus seeking clarity just for the next steps. Successful individuals focus on identifying clear next actions rather than demanding a complete career blueprint. This approach keeps the "price tag" for each step small, allows for flexible adaptation when obstacles arise, and permits the vision to evolve as the person grows, rather than constraining them to an initial limited conception.
Many people also unconsciously benefit from staying confused. Like Natasha, a talented entrepreneur who remained stuck despite abundant ideas, confusion can keep us "safe" by preventing bold action and risk-taking. Only by recognizing this hidden attachment to confusion can we connect with our inner clarity and move forward.
Successful career-changers consistently cultivate practices that quiet the mind-meditation, prayer, walking, physical exercise, creative activities, or mindful observation. The specific activity matters less than the intention to experience mindfulness and calm focus. This practice engages the right hemisphere of the brain, balancing the logical left-brain processing that most professionals overuse.
Coleman also introduces the concept of the "inner coach"-the intuitive voice that nudges us toward positive changes and whispers of deeper aspirations. By recognizing how this inner coach communicates (through gut feelings, temperature changes, or calm wisdom) and giving it more authority, we can access guidance that feels like "having the wisest and kindest mentor on call 24/7."
Chapter 6
Dreaming Without Limits: Reclaiming Your Vision
Once you've cultivated clarity, the next step is exploring your relationship with wanting and dreaming. Coleman carefully examines blind spots around stated desires to discover what truly lights people up. The most successful clients aren't afraid to dream big in authentic ways. This section focuses on reclaiming the natural dreaming abilities we had as children, helping choose a career path that will keep you focused and motivated.
Coleman observes two distinct power sources behind similar-sounding dreams: fear and love. Take Alexis, a professional who initially hired Coleman to avoid getting fired again. Her fear-based motivation eventually gave way to reconnecting with her childhood dream of starting a business-a desire rooted in her heart. While fear can motivate temporarily, dreams powered by love create sustainable momentum. Alexis partnered with others and launched her company within a year, demonstrating how heart-connected dreams generate lasting results.
Living someone else's dream is like being under the influence-eventually, the effects wear off. Coleman shares the story of a successful tech professional who maintained her artistic practice purely from heart-centered desire, giving her strength through life's challenges. To distinguish authentic desires from adopted ones, ask yourself: What do you truly want? Why do you want it? How does imagining it feel in your body? Who are you trying to please? How committed are you?
Most clients discover they've forgotten how to dream without limits. Children naturally dream big without worrying about being "realistic"-they don't choose careers based on practicality but on desire. Many adults block themselves from hearing their authentic dreams, though these desires never truly disappear. Coleman encourages giving permission to explore "crazy dreams" without immediate commitment to action. Like Steve Jobs recruiting for the iPhone team, the greatest successes come from those willing to dream big, get messy, fail, adjust, and create something unprecedented-all starting with just an inkling and commitment.
Many clients become emotional recalling disappointments that led them to protect themselves by stopping deep wanting. While numbing pain works short-term, the long-term cost is severe-like using alcohol to relax, extreme self-protection eventually disconnects us from authentic desires. When we numb negative emotions, we inadvertently numb positive ones too, becoming increasingly dependent on external definitions of success rather than internal guidance.
Chapter 7
Finding Your Sacred YES: The Power of Alignment
Creating a vision that resonates at your core requires choosing direction intentionally before taking action. A Sacred YES is when you know with your entire being that a decision is right for you-beyond logic and pros/cons lists. Training yourself to recognize this inner resonance makes professional progress smoother and more fulfilling.
Identify two or three people who inspire you, then analyze what specifically moves you about them-their qualities, achievements, or approach to life. When Coleman did this exercise, he chose Robert Holden, Marianne Williamson, and Louise Hay, drawn to their heart-centered work, authenticity, and balance between productivity and rich personal lives. Everyone connects differently to role models-some clients admire Oprah's ceiling-breaking courage, others her creativity and impact. These inspirations reveal what you truly value and desire in your own path.
After identifying inspiring qualities in others, recognize where you already possess these traits in your life. One client admired Oprah's leadership but dismissed her own leadership abilities until they explored examples where she'd already demonstrated this quality. They positioned her current leadership skills at 20 on a scale of 100, with her goal at 80. This reframing-growing something you already have versus acquiring something new-dramatically increases motivation and commitment.
Identify the dream beneath your surface goals. Like George, who initially wanted more clients and revenue but discovered his deeper desire was heart-to-heart connection and positive impact. Once connected to these authentic desires, clients become unstoppable, accessing unlimited inspiration and perseverance.
Create comprehensive visions of how potential career paths would fit into your entire life using mind maps, embodiment exercises, vision boards, or written ideal scenes. The goal is to "try on" possible futures and notice your body's honest reaction to each scenario, allowing immediate course correction if something feels off.
Once clearer about direction, connect with your Future Self who has achieved your vision. Explore their daily habits, priorities, relationships, and boundaries. This reveals where you already match this future version and where growth opportunities exist. Many clients adopt "What would my Future Self do?" as a decision-making framework, asking "What can I do today to more fully embody my Future Self?" for actionable steps.
Chapter 8
Your Personal Success Formula: The Action Blueprint
Most clients seeking clarity actually crave taking action but feel stuck. This component helps you discover your unique "personal success formula" rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. You'll explore action loops, practices for short and long-term success, decision-making patterns, and commitment strategies-all to outline your personal formula for success.
Coleman introduces two approaches to action/feedback loops. The ineffective linear approach assumes that if an action fails, the entire vision was wrong. The more effective approach uses feedback to refine the action plan while maintaining the vision. Using the example of seeking a speaking opportunity, Coleman shows how the second approach keeps momentum going through constructive analysis rather than abandoning the vision after rejection.
Incorporating positive feeling states like joy, love, and peace into your success formula is essential. While fear can motivate short-term success, it eventually leads to burnout. Love as a motivator pays dividends and refuels you through the action itself. Coleman emphasizes connecting to heart-driven dreams rather than fear-based ones for sustainable success.
Coleman explores the personalized nature of making and keeping commitments, encouraging readers to understand their own decision-making patterns. She recommends "embodying" potential commitments before saying yes or no-noticing bodily sensations that indicate true alignment. When clients attune to only making commitments that feel expansive, they find it easier to keep them even when resistance appears.
Consistent progress requires more than fleeting inspiration. Coleman guides readers to identify what truly motivates them to action by examining past successful projects. Through client examples, she demonstrates how motivation can evolve-one client discovered she was energized by serving clients directly, while another transformed fear-based motivation into a deeper yearning for intimacy. The key takeaway: identify your unique motivational triggers and use them intentionally to maintain momentum.
Coleman introduces a powerful exercise where clients analyze their past successes to identify recurring patterns. By examining multiple success stories in detail-like landing a high-paying job-clients can identify overlapping attributes that form their personal "success recipe." These might include preparation habits, mindset elements, physical practices, or social interactions. Once identified, these core components can be intentionally recreated to accelerate progress in new endeavors, turning success into a replicable formula rather than random chance.
Chapter 9
Mastering Energy Flow: The Sustainable Success Engine
Energy management is a universal client concern, but the solution isn't simply getting more energy-it's managing energy flows intentionally. Coleman uses physics analogies to illustrate how momentum requires less energy to maintain than to initiate, and observes how emotional states directly influence energy levels. Energy must be regularly used to be replenished, comparing it to an unused muscle that atrophies.
Coleman introduces her first energy management tool: conducting a comprehensive audit of where energy is being invested. This includes obvious commitments like jobs and relationships, but also unfinished projects, unkept agreements, and energy spent maintaining past trauma or worrying about the future. Drawing from Caroline Myss's work, she compares energy management to financial management-every thought, judgment and worry requires energy investment.
Energy management is like financial investment-evaluate what you get back compared to what you put in. The formula is simple: ROI = what you get (and what it means to you) - your energy investment. For example, one client spent hours daily with a new man but felt depleted afterward. By setting healthier boundaries, her energy levels and relationship improved. Similarly, Coleman's investment banking job initially provided high ROI through learning and compensation, but diminished in the second year as the learning curve flattened. Understanding when ROI turns negative helps prevent burnout and allows for intentional career transitions at the right time.
While many see Coleman as "naturally" high-energy, it's actually intentional work on both managing outflows and increasing her capacity to receive energy. Energy follows the first law of thermodynamics-it cannot be created or destroyed, only change form. Think of your energy capacity like a light bulb's wattage; to shine brighter without burning out, you must gradually expand your ability to hold and function at higher energy levels.
We all have natural energy patterns throughout the day, week, and seasons. Some clients thrive in mornings but deplete by 4pm, while others take hours to wake up but create their best work at night. Some prefer regular schedules, while others panic at the thought of routine. The key is noticing your natural rhythms and adjusting your schedule accordingly, rather than forcing yourself into someone else's ideal pattern.
Every decision requires energy-the bigger the decision, the more mental, emotional, and sometimes physical energy it demands. Creating habits and routines removes decision-making from the equation, freeing energy for other activities. Though building routines initially requires overcoming resistance, once established, they require minimal energy to maintain.
Chapter 10
Transforming Resistance into Fuel: The Growth Accelerator
As you implement exercises and action steps, you've likely encountered resistance. This resistance manifests differently for each person, but those who learn to dissolve it enjoy a smoother journey toward their professional goals. Understanding what resistance truly represents allows you to use it as fuel rather than seeing it as an obstacle to progress.
We all have natural equilibrium points-set points-for various aspects of life, from happiness levels to income to love. Like a thermostat, these set points regulate how much success, joy, or abundance we allow ourselves to experience. Even after dramatic life events, we typically return to our baseline. Studies show lottery winners often return to their original financial position within years. Coaching helps shift these set points upward, creating a stronger foundation for sustainable growth toward your goals.
Resistance isn't a sign to stop-it's confirmation you're stretching beyond your comfort zone. Like stretching a rubber band, you'll feel increasing tension as you push past familiar set points. This tension is actually valuable feedback indicating growth. By learning to work through resistance rather than retreating from it, you can permanently elevate your set points and achieve your goals more effectively.
Resistance manifests uniquely for each person-like a fogged windshield that obscures your vision. Common forms include binge-watching TV, focusing on family drama, negative self-talk, sudden boredom with your project, depression, increased sleep needs, anxiety, or feeling overwhelmed. By recognizing your particular resistance patterns, you can address them directly rather than being derailed.
We each have a baseline emotional frequency-our "home frequency"-that influences our productivity and creativity. By intentionally elevating this frequency through activities like volunteering, yoga, time in nature, or gratitude practices, we can raise our set points. When Coleman left her training job to start her business, weekly volunteering with homeless children surprisingly energized and inspired her, redirecting resistance and keeping her motivated to pursue her goals.
When you deeply appreciate resistance rather than fighting it, something transformative happens. The power that was blocking your progress becomes available to propel you forward faster. Coleman experienced this while writing this book when her beloved tree outside her office window was unexpectedly cut down. Initially devastated and tempted to postpone writing, she chose to appreciate the resistance and grief. This allowed her to process her emotions while gaining clarity about what truly mattered to her-connection to nature and wildlife.
Chapter 11
Aligning Mind and Emotions: The Inner Harmony Blueprint
To achieve success, we must align three distinct "selves": the Higher Self (Heart/Inner Wisdom) that generates our Sacred YES vision, the personality self (mind and emotions), and the physical body. When these three selves pull in different directions-like when your heart wants to run a marathon but your body craves cookies and your mind questions the entire endeavor-progress becomes difficult.
Most people believe events directly cause feelings, creating a disempowering victim loop: an event happens (boss yells), feelings arise (sadness), behavior follows (shutting down), leading to more negative events. This perspective misses a crucial step between event and feeling: interpretation. It's not the event itself but your thinking about it that creates your feelings. By recognizing this gap between event and feeling, you gain freedom to choose how you respond rather than being enslaved to external circumstances.
The first step toward alignment is developing awareness of the moment between events and feelings-catching yourself making interpretations before emotions take over. This high-ROI practice puts you in a position of power to choose better interpretations before spiraling down. Beyond mindfulness practices, Coleman recommends journaling as an observer of your thoughts and feelings, recording both positive and negative emotions alongside the situations that trigger them.
Examine your beliefs as if shopping for them-would you choose to buy this thought? What's its value? What's the price tag? Most limiting thoughts aren't original but common patterns like "I'm not good enough," "I need validation," "I have to work hard for money," or "I can't do what I love and be prosperous." These beliefs are like wearing an ugly outfit chosen as a teenager every day for decades when you could easily choose something better.
All your beliefs are true-for you. Your mind cannot accept anything contradicting your belief system. Yet none of your beliefs are universally true for everyone else. Beliefs function like software programs you install on your "inner computer." If you believe you must work hard for money, you'll likely miss or sabotage easy, enjoyable income opportunities because accepting them would contradict your operating belief system.
When you identify beliefs needing upgrades, ask: How would I feel without this belief? Does your body feel lighter considering alternatives? Find "proof" of new, better-feeling beliefs-two or three instances when that interpretation was "true" (even from others' experiences). Creating affirmations or mantras helps install this new "software."
Chapter 12
Creating Financial Alignment: The Prosperity Pathway
Having followed the CLEAR WAY process to this point, you're now invited to examine your relationship with money and identify blind spots that may have hindered your career choices and progress. Most clients struggle with discussing money neutrally due to unhealthy childhood environments-either families never discussed money (considering it shameful) or constantly worried about "never having enough."
Developing the ability to discuss money neutrally-like discussing weather-is essential for successful compensation negotiations and business fundraising. For those struggling, practice with close friends or make new connections with people comfortable discussing money positively.
Most clients confuse net worth with self-worth, creating a dangerous dynamic that weakens their position in money conversations. Net worth (assets minus liabilities) becomes emotionally charged when people link it directly to personal value-feeling good when it rises, worthless when it falls. This creates an unstable foundation for self-worth dependent on external factors. The truth is that each person's inherent value is priceless, just like a baby's worth isn't determined by future earnings. By separating self-worth from net worth, you gain freedom to create more money.
Unless raised in a prosperous household with healthy money attitudes, most clients benefit from identifying and clearing limiting money beliefs. A revealing exercise involves completing sentences like "Money is _____" or "I learned from my mother that money is _____." Common limiting beliefs include "money is bad and dirty," "money doesn't grow on trees," "I have to sell my soul to make more," "people who focus on money are evil," or "men make more money than women."
While most clients focus primarily on increasing income, examining how money flows both in and out is equally important. Effective money management requires working on both income generation and developing intentional spending and investing practices.
The formula for increasing earnings is: Money = Value of Service x Number of People Served x Openness to Receive. Business owners can ask "How can I increase my service value?" rather than falling into fear patterns about paying bills. For employees, evaluating how to increase value with your skills and whether your service fits your employer is key.
Building a healthy relationship with money requires love, attention and nurturing-like any important partnership. A powerful exercise involves writing an honest letter to money expressing feelings, gratitude, fears or questions, then allowing money to "write back" by setting an intention and writing whatever emerges. This often generates surprising insights and business ideas.
Chapter 13
Creating Your Support System: The Final Piece
Many clients come seeking clarity after quitting jobs, expecting instant direction but finding confusion instead. Our culture trains us to figure things out alone, especially educated professionals, yet successful people intentionally work on making commitments and receive support. "Dysfunctional independence" from pride breaks lives, wastes money, estranges relationships, and kills dreams. The first crucial step is willingness to receive support rather than struggling alone.
Finding appropriate support that empowers rather than rescues is essential. Many clients rely solely on personality assessments, hoping tests will tell them what to do-a limiting approach that can never substitute deeper work. Others outsource wisdom to career counselors, mentors, or even psychics, creating dependency instead of self-reliance.
The most pervasive blind spot is lack of trust-in ourselves, others, and the world. Clients express this through beliefs like "I don't trust my decisions," "I cannot be consistent," "I am untrustworthy," "I can never change," or "I'm different from others who found work they love." These doubts seem convincing because they become self-fulfilling prophecies.
Warren Buffett wisely noted that "saving doing the work that you love for later years is like saving having sex for old age." Coleman's invitation is to stop waiting, connect to your Sacred YES vision and begin taking action steps as soon as you can. Your vision is waiting for you!
