The Compass and the North Star
Heading North
Ancient explorers, sailing under clear night skies, relied on the brilliance of the stars to navigate swiftly towards their destination.
Life, however, is rarely as straightforward as a clear night at sea. More often, it feels like a disorienting storm where the unknown hinders our ability to steer in the direction we desire.
Surprisingly, we tend to tie our happiness to dreams of what our life might become, rather than what we are making it to be right now. We set distant goals as our "north stars," believing that once reached, happiness will follow. In doing so, we lose sight of the present moment and settle for unease, anxiety, and a perpetual sense of impending failure.
What if we could find purpose in navigating life's waters well, rather than focusing solely on reaching a distant shore?
The Open Purpose
The idea of a grand, far-off purpose is appealing, as it allows us to believe we were born to achieve something great. Ancient Greeks called this ultimate purpose "telos." Aristotle described it as the realization of our full potential and the highest Good possible.
However, holding on too tightly to distant goals causes anxiety within us, and prevents us from appreciating the virtues of our efforts.
Instead of questioning our life's ultimate purpose, we should view each day as purposeful in itself. By reflecting on and learning from our daily actions, we embrace an open purpose that continuously evolves.
Our purpose, then, is less about where we are going, and more about the path we intend to walk to get there.
Our Compass
In today's world, we find it difficult to escape comparisons between what we have and unattainable illusions of what life should be. We’re left with a miserable, clouded state of mind.
Sailors who lost their ability to navigate by stars turned to compasses. A compass has us focus on the direction we are moving, rather than the destination.
So, too, we can focus on the direction we work to move in each day, to help us appreciate the lives we have. We can then strive to live each day to the best of our abilities, examining where we spend our time and how we treat others, as the only measure we need to determine whether we are fulfilling our purpose.
This is not to say that everything will work out, or that we should abandon long-term goals. Rather, it encourages us to reflect on our progress and focus on living the present day to the fullest.
In doing so, we can find fulfillment in the journey itself, embracing failures and successes both as opportunities to live wisely.