Where does a compass point?
Under normal circumstances it points north, but if there is a magnet, metal, or electrical current nearby, it can change direction drastically in an instant, giving us a false reading.
Have your ever been going toward your “north”, your primary objective, and suddenly everything changes? You get a call, or some other interruption, and in an instant what seemed to be your primary objective simply goes away. Sometimes it’s almost imperceptible, and can happen with certain degree of frequency depending on our work and other activities. 
The interruptions can at times be so overwhelming we don’t even have a single moment in the day to focus on our true north.
Now comes the obvious, but tough question:
If your “north” is so important to you, why do you let others deviate your course so easily?
We need to accept that in most cases we do not own 100% of our time, and like it or not, there are things which inevitably must be done. 
Since this is the case, shouldn’t we at least plan some part of our day to do what we consider to be most important and not just dedicate ourselves to the needs of others? If we incorporate our goal consistently as a part of our daily plan, we have a much better chance of getting it.
Whenever we want to achieve something, be it personal or work related, we need to take care of how we use our time and invest it wisely. We all have the same amount of time in a day, some take full advantage of each moment, others waste them away.
How can we get to our north?
While we can create agreat, glorious plan carefully mapping out each step along the way, how about if we simply figure out what the next step is we need to take, and make that our goal for the day? It doesn’t have to be something big, and in fact the majority of huge goals can be broken down into bite size pieces, which can be handled easily one by one.
Making a living needn’t be a titanic mission. Day to day existence isn’t always easy, but it doesn’t really require any great talent or ability. Pointing our compass toward doing what we do well, and above all enjoy, is a great idea. Besides, it’s much more fun and pleasurable that way. When our work becomes our play, each day is a party but, of course, to get to the celebration, though to get there is not always a piece of cake.
With our “north” firmly n mind, we need to do whatever we can to keep our compass free of obstacles altering its accuracy. When situations of life knock us off course, which they most certainly will, it is our job is to free ourselves from the distractions as best we can, without losing sight of what is most important.
Just as a compass looks for its north, we too can keep pointed north by having clarity in our desires and objectives, along with a plan of action to achieve them. Doing so leads us naturally to what needs to be done to get to where we want to go. Our job is to maintain our compass free of interference, giving direction to our destiny.
∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL IV 30