The Compass
Discover your direction
The Compass is a simple framework for helping you move from where you are towards where you would like to be.
You can use it when life changes unexpectedly, when you're feeling stuck, when you have a decision to make, when you have a big dream or goal - or simply when you want to live a little more intentionally.
It doesn't give you the answers.
It helps you pause long enough to hear your own.
Four simple steps
I set my destination.
I feel it, see it bright.
With baby steps I journey.
I trust my inner light.
That's The Compass.
Simple enough to remember. Practical enough to use.
And something you can come back to again and again as life changes.
I set my destination
Where do I want to go?
Sometimes we know exactly what we want. Sometimes all we know is that we don't want things to carry on quite as they are.
Setting your destination doesn't mean having a perfect five-year plan. It might mean asking:
- What do I want?
- What matters to me right now?
- How would I like things to be different?
- What do I need?
Your destination can be big - a new job, relationship or chapter of life. Or very small - a calmer week, an honest conversation or an hour that's just for you.
The important thing is that it's your direction.
I feel it, see it bright
What might it feel like?
Once we have some sense of where we'd like to go, we give ourselves permission to imagine it. Not to pretend everything is wonderful when it isn't. And not because imagining something guarantees it will happen.
It's simply an opportunity to look beyond where we are now. What might be possible? What would be different? How might it feel?
Sometimes we need to see even a glimpse of another possibility before we can begin moving towards it.
With baby steps, I journey
What's one of the things I can do?
This is where The Compass becomes practical.
You don't have to know the whole route. You only need to find a next small step - not the next step, just a next baby step.
Sometimes it's an action or a conversation. Sometimes it's asking for help or finding out more. Or occasionally the next step is to stop, rest or give yourself some breathing room.
Small doesn't mean insignificant. Small steps are how journeys happen.
I trust my inner light
Can I trust myself - and the journey - a little more?
We can't control everything that happens and we can't always see where a path will lead.
Trust isn't about knowing everything will work out exactly as we imagined.
It's about learning to listen to ourselves, recognise what is within our control and keep finding our way even when we can't see the whole route.
Sometimes the destination changes. Sometimes the route changes. Sometimes we change.
That's okay. You can check your Compass again.
Check your bearings
Wherever you are today, you might simply ask yourself:
Where am I now?
Where would I like to be?
What's one small step I could take?
You don't need the whole map.
Sometimes you just need your Compass.
Want to explore The Compass with others?
You can use The Compass completely on your own. But sometimes having somewhere to stop, think and talk things through helps us hear ourselves more clearly.
Compass Circles are small facilitated groups where people can talk honestly, listen to others and explore what matters to them - without being told what they should do or being expected to have everything figured out.