FINDING TRUE NORTH

I woke up one morning, and found this write-up in my email inbox. It was graciously sent to me by a priceless friend. After reading it over a couple of times, i decided not to be selfish and share. And here we are! The summary of this great piece is simply, 'focusing right!'

We need to do more of looking for DIRECTION, GUIDANCE, PRECISION, and IMPACT, rather than applause, "people pleasing", and ACTIVITY!!!!

My good friends! Read and be CHANGED!

IT BLESSED ME LOADS! I have no doubt it will bless you.

THE ARTICLE:
After reading a book by Stephen Covey many years ago I started to think about the difference between the compass and the clock. If you suddenly found yourself caught up and lost on a deserted island, which would be more important to have - a compass or a clock?

Most of us have the same challenge in life. You know, life is a very complex maze. We are all constantly looking for the way out of certain situations. It could be career, marriage, finance, you name it. But unfortunately, we place too much emphasis on the clock in our lives.
I can say with some certainty that you own a wristwatch. I might even add that you definitely wear your wristwatch on your left wrist (who even decreed that rule?). We are concerned about time management when we should be more concerned about life-management. We are occupied and obsessed by how fast we can do things whereas we should be more concerned about whether we are doing the right things. We are concerned about efficiency when we should be more concerned about effectiveness. Efficiency is doing things well, effectiveness is doing the right thing. How important is it to do something well when what you are doing is the wrong thing?

You see, a clock or a watch will tell you the time. But a compass will give you direction. Time is only important when direction is right. Many people are living their lives by the clock. No wonder they experience high levels of frustration. You need to live your life by the compass. You need to have a clear direction of where you are going in life. Maybe you have lost everything. Maybe you are even lost; buried in a 9 to 5 job that you hate. You wake up every morning asking yourself, "for how long will I continue doing this"? Your children don’t know you anymore. Your marriage is falling apart. You just don’t have time to enjoy the life you are working so hard to have. You are never able to stop and just… well, … stop. No time to think and reflect on what you really want in life. But I can assure you if you start on the journey to getting your bearing right, if you can locate your compass and find your "true north", you will begin to find fulfilment.

What is "true north"? Literally speaking, true north is the direction towards the top of the Earth along an imaginary line at an angle of 90° to the equator. It is a standard reference point that ships and airplanes use to find their relative positions. Some time ago I read about the homing pigeon which is a selectively bred pigeon of the Rock pigeon specie. These pigeons are said to be able to find their way back home even after being discreetly taken over long distances to places they have never been. Because of this ability these pigeons have been used in several rescue operations during war and major disasters. Most of them just need to fly in a circle 3 times and miraculously they start out in the exact direction that takes them to their home loft. This phenomenon has amazed even the greatest scientists till today. And we say humans are smart? The famous former heavyweight boxing champion, Mike Tyson, recently starred in a new documentary chronicling his lifelong love for raising and racing these remarkable homing pigeons.

So what do all these mean to you? Maybe not much. But have you found your "true north"? Have you discovered your true purpose in life, the reason why you live? Rainer Maria Rilke said, "The only journey is the journey within". Why not start your own journey today?
I wish you all the best this week.


Stay MOTIVated!