What’s your North Star?

What’s your North Star?

First, if you’re not familiar with the term, the question might be: what IS a north star?

The term comes from astronomy - the North Star (Polaris), is a star that stays almost stationary in the northern sky (not that physically useful if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere like me, but the concept is still helpful).

The North Star hangs out close to the celestial north pole, which is the point in the sky directly above the Earth's geographic North Pole. Due to its fixed position, the North Star has been historically used as a navigational aid for travellers, particularly those in the Northern Hemisphere. Its steady presence helps people determine their northward direction, as other stars appear to rotate around it.

Figuratively, a "North Star" can refer to a guiding principle or goal that provides direction and purpose in life. It represents a constant reference point or guiding light that helps us navigate our path through life and make decisions aligned with our values and where we’d like our life to take us.

Finding a North Star helps to provide a clear vision and acts as a guiding compass, so we have something to measure our choices, decisions and actions against. Does this relationship take me towards or away from my north star? Does this project? Does this job, this opportunity, this idea that I’m curious about?

There’s a bunch of different ways to use the idea of a north star - it could be a concrete goal (I want to buy some land and build an eco house on it within the next ten years), or it could be more values based (freedom, or creativity, or kindness). It could be identity based (I want to develop the part of my personality that is eccentric and silly).

So what’s your North Star? Your guiding light through this life?

If you’d like some help finding yours, or some help taking the next step towards it, maybe you’d like to get in touch? Click here to send me a message.