CompassCast™

This Thanksgiving, as you gorge yourself with turkey, fixins' and rest for a massive shopping spree on the next day, remember the following:

1. The pilgrims were illegal aliens.
2. Border fence? Not even an ocean thousands of miles wide could keep those who wanted in from getting in.
3. The pilgrims came here not because it was perfect but because it was better.
4. The pilgrims came here to work and create a life not for a hand out.
5. The pilgrims had faith -- and I don't mean faith in god -- they had faith that things would work out.
6. The pilgrims came at the worst time of the year -- just before winter -- and they still survived.
7. The first pilgrims to arrive didn't steal anybody's jobs. Instead they dug up burial sites and stole food stored by the locals. Then a few years later, they invited two leaders from the locals over for food and murdered them.
8. The pilgrims came here to practice religious freedom believing that state religions impinged on the freedom of conscience.  They would probably not be in favor of our 1954-modified pledge of allegiance or motto, adopted in 1956, "In God we Trust."
9. Thanksgiving wasn't about a big party with loads of food while you contemplated how you were going to get the best bang for your buck the next day. It was solemn. It was about praising and thanking God. If the pilgrims here today they would probably by in a church praying and not at the dinner table or watching parades, football and old Christmas movies.  When is the last time you prayed around gratitude instead of asking for a "fix" or a "solution"?
10. The Pilgrims didn't "count their blessings" as so many people do these days on Thanksgiving day. They were truly grateful.  Period. Imagine for a moment that during the 12 months HALF your family and friends died. Not one. Not two. HALF. Would you, like the pilgrims, be able to find gratitude at the end of all that?  They did. And they did it without Prozac or mental health counseling.

Why do we forget these facts? Why don't these images of what America was at the start shape our Thanksgiving traditions by filling us with emotions?  Emotions like shame for what happened to the locals by the "illegals". Emotions like openness for our current "illegal" who continue to want to come her because it is better-not-perfect. Emotions like faith and hope?  Why don't we think of church and prayer on Thanksgiving?

Instead our minds are filled with an image of a green bean casserole.

I spend a lot of time with my coaching clients making sure they have their bearings and are following their true azimuth.

People who use a compass to find their way know that in order to work properly they need to make sure to hold the compass away from magnetic fields and other sources that may impact where the needle on the compass is pointing. Otherwise they may think they are traveling north only to be traveling north or even south!

Similarly we have many forces pulling and pushing our internal compass as we navigate our lives. If we aren't careful we lose our bearings and go in directions we never intended to.

A great example of this happened in my own life came when I worked for a company who had different values than myself -- particularly with regard to how they treated their employees. At first my bearings were accurate and true to myself -- my values -- specifically my belief in people first. But, over time, the influence of those whom I worked for started impacting how my internal compass was oriented. The emphasis on the bottom line. The focus on money over people. My behaviors and actions shifted. And I ended up behaving in ways that I am not proud of. And I didn't even realize it. After all I held the same values I always held. I thought my internal compass was accurate. I thought I was doing just great. I even preached to people about the importance of identifying your true values, writing them down, prioritizing them and following them.

But like a compass needle spinning from being too close to a magnetic field, my internal compass needle was spinning. Pointing toward values I didn't subscribe to. Not in the least.

Eventually I left the company. And, of course my internal compass pointed differently. I noticed it. You see, the forces that affected my values -- and sent my internal compass spinning -- happened over time so I didn't notice it. Leaving the company I was completely free from influence of different values. My awareness was immediate and I felt awful.

I knew then there was much more living the life you want then having a map: identifying your true values, writing them down, prioritizing them and following them. I need to make sure my internal compass was working. And that it stays working. Correctly. I need to get my bearings and regularly check my bearings. I need to be aware of invisible forces that throw off my internal compass. Invisible.

Where is your internal compass pointing? Are you following your true azimuth?

©2007 True Azimuth, LLC
Business Coaching, Relationship Coaching, Life Coaching