Currents October 2020

Calibrating Your Compass

A compass is designed to aid in accurately navigating our travels. Ships and aircraft have highly refined devices, but nearly all of us carry a compass around in our phones. For the most part, my phone GPS saves me time and aggravation. Except when it decides to misbehave and send me off on a tangent or dead end. I’ve been known to argue with “Carmen,” (as I lovingly refer to the voice that calls out directions as I drive) to no avail. Sometimes she will relent, reroute, and save the day and sometimes I must take control, read the signs, and get there the old-fashioned way.

Each of us carries another compass, even when we leave our phone home. This internal compass that directs us to act with integrity is a delicate mechanism we can learn to use with increasing accuracy. I read some articles on how to calibrate a compass. Not being scientific, I am not qualified nor capable of explaining the process, but the goal of calibration being a precise measurement spoke to me. I wondered what steps I could take to calibrate my internal compass to work with precision. Here are some things I have found most helpful in calibrating mine.

• Believe this compass is indeed part of your God-given DNA and seek to follow it.
• Minimize interference from the noise of electronics, unbridled emotion, and loud voices.
• Focus and follow the thoughts in your mind and feelings of your heart.
• Recognize it’s your own personal GPS. You can certainly learn from others, but don’t blindly follow their coordinates for life.
• Welcome new ideas and insights rather than clinging stubbornly to what you’ve always done or thought.
• Withhold judgment and honor the direction that others take as they follow their compasses.

If you want more ideas, you’ve come to the right place. Lisa describes how her internal compass rerouted her heart, Kathy introduces a woman who saved lives by resolutely acting with integrity, Rebekah relates learning to use a compass to finding integrity, and you’ll meet Tenille who values this tool for herself and her sons. In addition, Michelle gives examples of recognizing her compass, and Pat highlights how Lifting Hands International and our Houston cottage employ their internal compasses to help others on their way.

So, discover your internal compass and how it guides you; then follow its direction, act with precise integrity, and you can empower yourself and inspire others.