The Compass Within

The future is unwritten, and we are the authors. We get to choose the direction we go, the mission we adopt, and the plan for which we pursue our goals. Everyone’s journey will look different because we each carry our own internal compass. In order to follow that compass, we must first understand what drives us, what our values are, and what the purpose is that we are chasing. Instead of guessing what the future will look like, we can craft the life we wish to live by following the compass within.

We find fulfillment both in work and in life when we stay true to ourselves, but more than that, we find fulfillment when we have a purpose to live into. This purpose is not tied to the job itself, but rather the work that we do and the impact that we have on the world. We are often so focused on how much money we make, what title we hold, how quickly we can advance, and what is expected of us that we forget to slow down and look in the direction we are heading. It is easy to get off course when we let society dictate where we should be going and when, rather than following our own true north.

The great thing about our internal compass is that it guides us no matter which map we are using. We may change our goals, or even our careers, but the values we hold and the purpose we pursue are steadfast. There will be obstacles to overcome, and the journey may be a long one, but we must keep moving toward what matters most to us. We cannot wait for life to happen to us, and we cannot depend on others for our purpose. We must reflect on our values and align our actions with those values. It is better to move slowly in the right direction than quickly in the wrong one.

As Napoleon Hill once pointed out, “There is no hope for success for the person who does not have a central purpose, or definite goal at which to aim.” When we find our purpose in life, we find the true north in which our compass is guiding us to. With that guidance, we find success, we create happiness, and we write a story worth telling to future generations.

-Meghan Slaughter