Navigating Life Without a Compass: A Choice No Parent Should Make
Imagine that you’re lost in a forest without a compass. Imagine a forest so vast and thick that you can’t even see above the branches to the sun or moon. How will you find your way? The fact is, research shows that no matter how hard you try you will end up walking in circles.
The results, published today in the journal Current Biology, showed that no matter how hard people tried to walk in a straight line, they often ended up going in circles without ever realizing that they were crossing their own paths.
This is what most people do as they navigate the journey of life. This is what it’s like living without using your innate talents, passions and motivations to serve as your compass. We are all born with this compass, but only some of us use it to move through life intentionally.
My Story of Living Life With No Compass for 20 years
Take me for example, up until I was 19 years old sports was my passion. However, at this point my career as a college athlete ended. I made the decision to focus on academics and finding a career.
At age 19, although I had many talents, I never took time to understand how to best use them. In addition, outside of money and safety, I didn’t know what else drove my self-motivation.
As a result, for the next 20 years I wandered through life chasing opportunities based on financial security only. I put my passion for sports on the back burner and investing in my natural talents was never the priority.
I did find temporary financial success, but never security. The reason why is because I didn’t feel secure in what I was doing because I didn’t have passion for what I was doing. Therefore, I was always chasing the next opportunity. In addition, I constantly felt uneasy because I knew I wasn’t living up to my potential.
How I Found My Life’s Compass
This all started to change when my mentor coached me down another path. He taught me how to use my strengths, passions, and motivations to guide my decisions. Simultaneously, he helped me create a purpose statement for my life. It’s the combination of these assets that now serve as my compass.
What’s more, my compass is leading me to help other sports families just like my family find their compass. Yesterday I wrote about the how behind this in an article titled Having The Right Goals is Key to Finding the Right Processes for Success. Please take a look, it’s less than a 10 minute read.
If you are a parent leading a sports family, one of the best investments you can make is equipping yourself and your children with a compass. You don’t have to wander through life for 20 years chasing the wrong things like I did. There is another path forward that can get you to your destination much faster.
Please contact me here to schedule a few minutes so we can talk and you can find out how I can help.