In an age of global position satellites, where turn by turn directions are always available, what you really need is a compass. The GPS tells you how to get where you are going. It provides you with the best route from getting from point A to point B. When it’s really fancy, it tells you all kinds of other information, things that might slow you down or help you along your way. It is a tool designed to make your journey more efficient.
A compass is different. It doesn’t tell you how to get where you are going, nor does it map out the best course of action. The information it provides is limited, but the little information it provides in many ways exceeds that of the GPS. A compass tells you in which direction you are traveling.
The direction you are heading is a question of values. You need to know what is your True North, that thing that is calling you, your purpose of a compass, what you are here to do with the time you have been given. If you don’t know where you are going, you don’t need turn by turn directions; you need a destination.
A compass helps you get your bearings, to know which way you are facing, whether you are moving towards your True North or away from it.
The reason most people drift isn’t that the directions are unknown or unknowable. They drift because they haven’t decided what they want and why they want it. They don’t have goals that provide them with direction and that compel them forward towards some better future, some better version of themselves.
The efficiency in which you make your journey is nowhere near as important as arriving in the right place. If forced to choose between efficiency or effectiveness when it comes to the most important things in life, always choose effectiveness.
A compass purpose is to show you your direction.
