top of page

Internal or external compass – which will you choose?

The admission form was in front of me. It had been for days, but I was hesitating signing it. The pressure to do so was running around in my head, and causing knots in my stomach.

I didn’t want to do it but felt I should. I had already invested 5 years and just two more would complete it.

It made sense, every kind of sense. My boyfriend was a builder. My parents were behind me, but I wanted to design.

How many nails and how much concrete was about as interesting to me as watching paint dry. I loved the idea of creating, of building but keeping tabs on the percentage of wastage and analysing the cost of concrete was like dunking my head multiple times in cold water and expecting that I’d come to enjoy it. It was never going to happen. I didn’t want to be a Quantity Surveyor.

An architect, an interior designer. Now that excited me. I could leap out of bed every morning for light, form, shape, textures, colours, rhythms, flow, design thinking and creative problem solving. That worked for me like butter on hot bread, like basil with tomatoes.

It was my language. And so I decided. I wouldn’t sign it. And I would do it. It wasn’t simple, it was challenging, for sure. My boyfriend thought art students were weird. My parents couldn’t see where the job was.

I could and there were many great ones, with great people and great companies like Apple, Vodafone, HarperCollins, Scholastic and more. I loved being a designer and I still do. I love that I get to learn about businesses and topics I would never seek out on my own, connecting seemingly disparate worlds, joining seemingly random dots and discovering new patterns and rhythms and underlying stories in things.

I love to see a client’s face light up when I show them designs and visuals and they see all their thoughts, words, ideas translated into their unique brand story.

I have never regretted this choice and I have made many other leaps like that guided from an internal source. It’s like my life is pulling me forward, tugging when I get stuck urging me to back on course again.

I believe our souls, our inner compass is often the most subversive part of us, constantly guiding and course correcting, steering us towards the lesson we most need to learn, the skills we need to master, the apprenticeships to which we need apply ourselves: delivering us to the ‘work’ we will offer the world, in the way that only we can deliver it.

For even a minute could you imagine Martha Graham as an accountant, Frank Gehry as a scientist, Picasso as a doctor.

I have come to believe we all have this internal compass, if only we’d listen.

Do you ignore this internal guide? Do you suppress it?

When we listen to this internal compass, we both surrender and take control of our own ship, allowing it to guide us while we lead it.

If you listen to this internal guide, can you connect the dots that have brought you here. If you listened, where is your ship pointed now. Is this where you really want to go?

Or ask where could your ship take you next. What does it look and feel like there. Who is there with you. What are you doing each day?

Is this what your life looks like now. If not what do you need to do to start to connect the dots?

And as we are all we are all in this together. Now please, please share with your friends by hitting one, or ALL of the social buttons below. It could be just what spurs them on today And thank you in advance. I appreciate your support.I didn't want to do it but felt I should. I had already invested 4 years and just two more would complete it. Click To TweetWhen we listen to this internal compass, we both surrender and take control of our own ship, allowing it to guide us while we lead it. Click To Tweet

1 view0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page