As we progress through life, the course we’ve planned for ourselves is constantly evolving. Very rarely do we wind up in the profession we dreamed about as children (if that were the case, we’d all be firefighters, teachers, professional athletes, or even world leaders!), or marry the type of person we dreamed we’d end up with. Moreover, very few of us work the exact job we went to college to be trained for, or live in the city we’ve always wanted to call home.
Our life is a fluid, changing, and even meandering, thing, and a precisely drawn map never accurately reflects that. We’d have to be redrawing our life map every day, sometimes every few hours, to account for all the changes that come our way. There’s got to be a better method of finding our bearings. That’s where the compass comes in. Instead of pointing you down a particular road, your internal compass guides you in a general direction. This internal compass – a mishmash of your hopes, desires, values, and priorities – is the only guide you need. Even amid major changes to your life map, a compass never waivers; it will always point you toward your true north. And, here’s the best part: if you find your compass isn’t pointing you in a good direction, all it takes is a little recalibration (or reevaluation) of your priorities to get its needle back on track. That’s a whole lot easier, and a whole lot more effective, than redrawing your life map every time you stray from your intended route. We all know how often that happens! The next time you find yourself searching for a bit of direction, put your map aside and zero in on where your compass is pointing you. It may not seem as precise as your map, but it’s a much truer indication of where you are and where you’re going. Remember, Happiness is an inside job! HAPPINESS STRATEGY The next time you have a spare hour or two, get in your car and take a drive. Don’t have a preconceived destination, and don’t switch on your GPS! Simply start driving and see where your intuition leads you. What did your destination end up being? How does your end point reflect your personality, likes/dislikes and other aspects of your compass?