Finding a compass
Imagine you wake up and find yourself in the middle of a forest. The forest is familiar to you - you knows these trees, the sound of the brook nearby - but there are no clear paths, no blazes,. There is ample space between the trees to make your way through the forest, but how do you start? Without a map or anchor point, it is hard to orient yourself towards your final destination. And what is that destination anyway?
This sense of feeling vaguely lost in a familiar place is one I hear from many. In our early years, there is a clear path that we are expected to follow: Finish high school and get in to college. Complete requirements for a degree. Find a job. Get a promotion.But at some point, that path peters out. Or we reach a fork in the road. It may feel like we have lost our way and lost our maps to help us move forward.
The truth, of course, is that there is no pre-made map. It is up to us to write our own narratives, to chart our own course. We are not lost because we have strayed from any path; we are simply explorers charged with finding our own ways forward.
Writing a map: this is how I think of goal setting.
Whether we are contemplating changes in our lives or trying to make our way through a forest, the first task is essential : we have to decide which direction to go in. This task is deceptively simple. With so many unanswered questions about the forest around us, it can be tricky to distill out what that dream is.
This task - orienting yourself and choosing the direction in which you want to travel -is really about self knowledge. The most effective goals are meaningful because they are in service to your values. In our busy and chaotic lives, sometime it is easy for those values to get buried. Furthermore, different values may compete with each other. Its okay for this phase to be messy. But the process of finding purpose, of turning yourself around to decide which direction you want to move it, is an essential first decision.
You may only be able to see part of the way forward in this direction. Thats okay.. Reevaluation, flexibility and curiosity is all a part of this journey. When you have your values articulated, they can serve as a compass, allowing you to reorient yourself along your journey.
Armed with a direction, that is guided by your dreams and values, you can now make our way through the forest. Our paths don’t have to be straight; they can be delightfully meandering. We may still be alone in the forest, but most importantly, we are no longer lost.
