Your inner compass is the inner construct that constitutes your generative drive. While the ‘generative drive’ is in itself a concept I’m very excited to write about in the near-future, what you need to know now is this: when your behaviour aligns with your generative drive—aligns with your inner compass—you feel fulfilled, grounded and purposeful. Knowing what drives you was the first step, the next is learning to harness it.
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<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" width="40px" /> This article represents the second instalment of a two-part series, concentrating on the practical application of your inner compass. If you haven't yet explored the initial steps to build this foundation, I highly recommend reviewing the first article. There, you'll discover the essential process to develop a robust framework for your inner compass, setting the stage for the insights and strategies we discuss here.
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So far, I've found four specific situations where revisiting my inner compass proved especially beneficial. Interestingly, each application not only served its immediate purpose but also offered opportunities for deeper learning and further refinement of my foundational concepts. Below, I will briefly touch upon each of them.
Starting to apply your inner compass can begin with something straightforward: looking at your life right now. Ask yourself, what habits have I got? What principles am I living by? And what goals am I chasing? If these align with the core values and aspirations you've identified, that's fantastic! However, there's a good chance you're also investing time and energy into things that don't really match up with your values (this might include those 'false beliefs' you spotted earlier).
Often, we find ourselves doing things that don't truly resonate with what drives us, leaving us feeling unfulfilled. This can be especially noticeable when you feel like something's missing, even though your schedule is packed.
Here's a simple way to tackle this: Try keeping a journal for a week. Write down everything you do. For each thing, note how it made you feel. Did you enjoy it? Did it bring you joy or energy? Then, at the week's end, look at where each activity fits with your foundational structure.
There are several things that might happen. For example, you may have an activity that has an integrated place in your hierarchy but leaves you more exhausted than fulfilled. An example is social activities with ‘connection’ being one of your core values. While the activity makes sense, it may be hard to connect on the level that you crave for, either due to the people involved or just the general setup of the activity. In such a case and others like it, first try to see if you can change the situation such that it is more aligned with what you want to get out of it, rather than dropping it immediately.
In other cases, you might be doing things that don't seem to bring you much joy or value and don't easily fit into your value system. It's worth considering whether these are instrumental tasks or if there's a way to view them through a lens that aligns with your values. For example, taking out the trash might not be exciting, but if you value order and cleanliness, it's a way to live out those values.
These are just two examples, but what I try to illustrate is that you can use your inner compass to critically assess whether your life is in line with what you value, or whether you’re simply flying autopilot-mode. Remember, this is a deeply personal process and can be quite nuanced, so there's no one-size-fits-all approach.
Your inner compass can be used in a similar way to assess your current job. Again, start by making a list of the main activities during your average working day. Don’t forget to include things that aren’t part of your ‘working package’ per se, such as lunch and other activities with colleagues, options (or lack thereof) of following courses during working hours, the time you need to commute, etc. Then, assess them in a similar way (and with similar nuance) as explained before.
Now, also think about the bigger picture; in what way does your work contribute to the world? Does your income enable you to live a fulfilling life, or can you do with a little less, working 4 days a week to spend the extra day in your garden or doing voluntary social work? Do the values that represent your employer resonate with your own? How about the people you work with directly? Armed with a clear understanding of your values, you're now in a better position to answer these questions.
Your work doesn’t need to be 100 percent aligned with your value structure, of course, because unless your work is your life, your work will serve an instrumental purpose (in the form of income) as well. But in any case, its worthwhile to explore the differences and similarities. Sometimes, just recognising why you chose your job can make it feel more fulfilling. Maybe there are small adjustments you can make, tasks you can delegate, or discussions you can have with your boss to better align your work with what motivates you.