Whew! Are you feeling it too? Feeling what? You may ask. Are you feeling a sense of uncertainty and upheaval in many parts of your life? There is the health uncertainty due to COVID, social unrest, and political division that can also cause divisions in families. Add to that the financial hardships that have occurred because of the lockdowns and you have a confluence of events that can get us off course.

For centuries, travelers have used the North Star as a point of reference to help them stay on course and navigate where they want to go. A brief review of Astronomy may be helpful. The North Star, also known as Polaris, is the end star of the handle of the Little Dipper constellation.  What makes the North Star exceptional as a navigation tool is that it appears to stay fixed in the sky as other stars circle around it.

It can be helpful for us to have our own “North Star” to follow as things change around us. The North Star can become a metaphor for our life purpose, passion and direction. Knowing our life purpose can be a driving force to keep us going when things get tough. Best-selling author, Rick Hanson, PhD, says, “When you find your North Star, you know where you’re headed. You can take more chances in life since if you lose your way, you’ve got a beacon to home in on.”

However, when life gets complicated because of all that is happening in the world, we can easily get off course without even realizing it. We stay “busy” by doing all our daily routines and fulfilling our obligations. We check off our daily “to do” lists. Yet, we realize that something is lacking. We may not feel fulfilled. We can have a lack of enthusiasm, a sense of “is this all there is to life”. When this happens, some people can turn to substance abuse and addictions to try to mask these feelings.

We’ve talked about what it can feel like when we are off course. What can it feel like when we’re on course and following our internal North Star? Martha Beck, PhD, author and speaker, wrote a book, Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live. Beck talks about when we’re on course we feel more energy and vitality. We are joyful and excited about life. We look forward to each day and have increased insight. We don’t allow temporary setbacks to discourage us from pursuing our goals. We feel in sync with the Universe. Now doesn’t that feel better!

So, what can you do if you want to be on course and feel more aligned with your North Star? Here are seven strategies for finding and following your North Star.

1. Identify your values. Are you honoring those values? Look at who and what is important in your life.
2. Become Curious. Ask yourself questions, such as: What brings you joy? If all work paid the same, how would you spend your time? What is most important to you?
3. Don’t limit yourself. Dream big! Don’t let your inner critic tell you you’re not good enough to achieve your dreams. As Napoleon Hill said, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
4. Make joy a priority. Doing things each day that bring you joy, whether they be big or small, can increase your energy, happiness and creativity. Beck writes, “Putting joyful activities into every nook and cranny of your day is a great way to start toward your North Star.”
5. Try new things. Challenging yourself to try something new like learning to play an instrument, or learning a new language can keep your mind sharp and creative juices flowing.
6. Nurture relationships. Developing caring relationships will bring a richness to life and a sense of security.
7. Get support. Don’t try do this by yourself. Enlist the help of family and friends who know you well. They can have insights about you that you haven’t thought of. Find someone you can be accountable to in this important endeavor. As Mark Twain said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

What about you? What is your North Star? If you want more clarity to be on course to your North Star, we hope the strategies we set forth will be helpful. When you align with your North Star, it can help you stay on course to a life of purpose and passion.

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@TheBalanceCenter.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2020 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.