To get where you want to go, you have to know where you are.
Whether your latest milestone in your life’s journey is applying to college or seeking a new level of understanding in your relationships or at work, the odds of reaching your destination skyrocket when you are fully aware of your current location. What do I mean by that? Just as a GPS app prompts you to identify your physical location when you want directions to a different place, successful progress in life happens when you are self-aware enough to have a realistic understanding of what it takes to overcome obstacles that inevitably arise on your path.
Do you have the confidence, courage and resilience you need to travel the course of your dreams? How can you accurately make that assessment? It starts by getting in touch with every aspect of your being. College applicants are lucky in a way, because they are required to write an essay that – if done right – shares a story about their life in a way that naturally reveals who they are at the core of their being. After all, the purpose of the essay is to allow gatekeepers of universities to gain a holistic view of the applicant beyond the GPA and test scores.
What about the rest of us? Too often, we set a goal or embark on a journey with a limited scope of the inner resources required to lead to the fulfillment of our potential. The good news is that we can access a tool that allows us to navigate the road ahead – even without writing an essay. s us to navigate the road ahead – even without writing an essay.
That tool is called the BEING Compass™. It’s a psycho-social-emotional technique I pioneered after spending ten years reading thousands of diary entries written by people who at some point veered off course from their inner true north and wound up in a place that didn’t resonate with their heart and soul. The result was overwhelming stress and anxiety, dissatisfying work, dead-end relationships, financial instability, ill health, career paths chosen by someone else – you name it.
After identifying common roots that led these diarists off course, I combined my insights with the knowledge I’ve gained from human potential thought-leaders of our time, along with ancient sages and psychological greats like Maslow, Jung, Rogers and Adler, whom I studied in my master’s program. The result is the Compass – this five-step process of self-exploration and self-awareness that can be adapted for anyone from age five to 105.
The word BEING that makes up the Compass is an acronym, with each letter representing one of the five steps. Knowing and being true to oneself is the ultimate goal. The journey lasts a lifetime, for the process of self-discovery never ends. Honoring that process results in lasting joy and inner peace.
Following is a brief introduction to each of the five aspects of BEING. Future blog posts will unveil further strategies and action steps to take along the road to expand mindful awareness within each aspect.
The letter B represents the Body. Do you pay attention to those subtle body signals – like the locked arms that may be telling you be careful what you say around a certain person? Do you honor feelings that come up through a pang in your gut that may be whispering that you need to speak your mind? The body is a tremendous source of wisdom that offers signs and signals with every choice you make, indicating whether you are headed in either the right or wrong direction. Commit to paying closer attention, and you will enhance the connection with your true self.
The letter E represents the Emotions. Our bodies and emotions are inextricably linked by nature, and they join together to share vital information about our foundational well-being. All we have to do is be present enough in the moment at hand to listen to the fundamental inner wisdom of these two aspects of our BEING. Every moment we process the feelings we are experiencing, we recalibrate our inner compass in the direction that resonates with the person we are meant to be. Learn to beas you are with your body and emotions, and you will be ready to use the power of your imagination to create your reality.
The letter I represents Imagination. When allowed to express itself, the brilliance of human imagination invites us to perceive our world in new ways. Aha moments become natural. The seeds of transformation are sown. The fog that previously blocked our vision of the way things could be is burned off because we were willing to honor the body’s wisdom and process our feelings. We have truly allowed ourselves to be where we are, gently unfolding the roadmap to chart the course of where we want to go.
The letter N represents Navigation. This is about taking actions that align with the vision set forth in the imagination. When mistakes are made, we simply reroute and get back on track, letting go of the errors as mistakes that every human makes now and then. Healthy habits replace bad habits that kept us in a rut.
The letter G represents Genius Mind. When we tap into our inner genius – which everyonehas, by the way – we spiral onward and upward by objectively taking inventory of our actions, reflecting on lessons learned and recalibrating whatever we realize will help us lead a more joyful and purpose-filled life.
The beauty of the BEING Compass is that whenever you recognize you are off course, you can simply ask, “what is my state of BEING?” and scan through each of the five aspects and lift the veil of fog that blocked the path along the journey to BEING you.
Happy travels,
Janet