A compass is a very powerful tool. When functioning it can be a life-saving tool for the explorer.  For me, one's Personal Compass, when properly working is a life saver. See when you calibrate your priorities beyond just yourself and those immediately close to you and add in making a true difference you'll always know life's "true North" like a compass. 

 

Whenever lost. Confused. Hurt. Sick. One's Personal Compass will help you find the proper trail you set out to experience.  It will ground you back to the things that matter. What you know will make a difference and help others around you. When you really decide to love, become a better person and help even your darkest moments will have a lighted path back to your happiness. 

 

See often in life we get lost. We are born pure. No concepts. No ideas. No hate. No jealousy. No bitterness.  As we walk the path of life we experience and set our minds to this things. None of us are born to hate, kill, hurt, steal, cheat, lie, etc.  We learn these things.  It pollutes our view of what is good. What is right and wrong and how we think we should behave. 

 

But consider this. We also have all felt a warmth and at least an ounce of happiness when we helped someone (or something). It's only natural when we know it was that act that made us feel that warmth because we made someone or something's world better by helping.  See we are all genetically coded to want to help.  Life has just slowed our natural thinking down with so many other aspects. 

 

So how do we get to these points in our life?  How do we "forget" how to help?  I believe we stray. We get consumed in what we believe is needed or important. We forgot the little things. We worry about all of the wrong things.  Money. Image. Things.  Drama. Just stuff. 

 

This is why pausing, clearing your mind and thinking of values vs things is critical. I'm going tell you it's hard. We have been encoded to think you must do certain things to be successful. Anything else, well that's failure. 

 

Stop and think about it for a second. Did you ever have a teacher that stressed it’s important to help others?  That doing things like that will bring you more happiness than that promotion or new car... did they ever?  Even our families will push us in these directions too.  But how about did anyone teach us balance between the promotion, new car AND making a difference helping others?  Nope. 

 

Now look, I'm not saying careers and nice things are stupid. These things are important to me as well. However, I refuse now to just measure myself solely on these things. Nor will I ignore the fact that with a little effort you can easily do both and still have fun. I just firmly believe that calibrating your Personal Compass will provide you "true North" at rocky moments in your life.  Setting your Compass will required more thought. You will evolve your list. You should strive to update and grow it. But to be successful you'll need more elements in the overall happiness formula. It just can't be all about yourself... we must make a difference with others in a meaningful way while building ourselves. 

 

So try it. Shed the stereotypical view of life, success and happiness. Create your own list. Calibration is not simple. Evolving is not simple. And like dieting you can't just cut out ALL fun. But grow yourself while having fun, but do it along with helping others.