Building on strengths

3 tips for clarifying your compass

Everybody has a personal compass. This can take the form of a philosophy, credo or framework which they refer to when making decisions in their lives. Let’s explore how you can settle-on and follow your own guiding principles.

1) You can clarify your compass.

Try tackling the exercise called My Compass. Describe the things you do and don’t want to do in your life. Some ideas may be philosophical; some may be practical. One person began their Dos by writing.

“Do keep my life-goals in mind when making decisions; do encourage my partner and other people; do continue doing work I love; do create something beautiful every day; do count my blessings and appreciate life.”

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. First, describe the things you do want to do in your life and work. Second, describe the things you don’t want to do. Try completing the following sentences.

2) You can clarify the pluses and minuses of following your compass.

Why follow your compass? What will be the benefits and what will be the downsides? Many people make resolutions, but those who stick to them accept the whole package. One person said:

“The pluses will be: I will keep reminding myself of what I want to achieve in life; I will have a framework for making decisions; I will have guiding principles that enable me to follow my daily disciplines. The possible minuses may be: I may need to take some tough decisions.”

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. First, describe the pluses of following your compass. Second, describe any potential minuses. Third, describe how you can build on the pluses and manage the consequences of any minuses. Try completing the following sentences.

3) You can follow your compass in your daily life.

Sometimes this can difficult, especially in challenging situations. How to overcome these problems? One approach is to anticipate scenarios that may test your values, the potential red flags. One person explained:

“Sometimes I feel provoked by observer critics who never do anything useful. Frequently I ask them to put forward constructive suggestions, but sometimes I lose my temper. Unfortunately I may be playing their game, because they can then fight in the gutter.

“So I must return to my values and behave in a way that makes me feel good afterwards.”

Forewarned is forearmed: so it is good to consider potential difficulties. Try tackling the exercise on this theme. First, describe the specific situations that may challenges your principles. Second, describe how you can follow your compass in these situations.

Now it is time to bring all your ideas together and translate these into action. But this calls for following daily disciplines. The dancer maintains their agility, for example, by practicing at the barre. The Zen Buddhist maintains their consciousness by continuing to meditate.

People who follow their values are more likely to feel at peace. The first step in making this happen can be to clarify and follow their compass. They can then be more true to themselves in their daily lives.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. First, describe the specific things you can do to follow you compass in your daily life. If possible, move from the concepts to the concrete. Second, describe again the benefits of doing these things. Try completing the following sentences.