Follow Your North Star

Follow your North Star

Life is a journey, and excellence is your True North. 

But how does one develop self-awareness to visualize and realize values and goals, centeredness to manage the immediacy of unexpected events, and the alignment to maintain a focus on that true north? Below are my humble reflections:

Self-Awareness - Develop your internal standard 

• Acceptance

  • Self-awareness starts with accepting your full self, complete with talents and foibles.

• Perspective

  • Acceptance of self fosters acceptance of others who hold differences in backgrounds and viewpoints. More acceptance of others leads to a stronger community, ideally full of diverse and inclusive people.

• Curiosity

  • Being open and curious can invite new opportunities to integrate knowledge and skills, expand networks, and remain adaptable.

Centeredness - Maintain your internal standards

• Self-care - Dopamine, the Pleasure and Motivation Hormone

  • Eat healthy food, listen to music, sing and laugh when you can, enjoy relaxing baths, get relaxing sleep, and move your body every day 

• Socializing - Oxytocin - The Love and Social Hormone

  • Socialize with others, help others, give/receive physical touch, pet animals

• Health and Well-Being - Endorphin, Feel-Good Hormone

  • Manage stress and pain by exercising, laughing, singing or listening to music  

• Emotional Stability - Serotonin, The Mood Hormone 

  • Choose regular sleep cycles, get sun exposure, practice mindfulness, take walks in nature, start journaling

Alignment - Manage thoughts, words and actions to align with your internal standard

• Self-Alignment

  • Reflect on what’s true for you, and how you are honoring your truth with your choices

• Team Alignment

  • Explore how your group and its daily work/projects aligns with your personal North Star

• Organizational Alignment

  • Ensure that the choices your organization or program makes are in alignment with your North Star

Your North Star can stand alone, or it can shine bright along with your team and organization, illuminating all it touches. 

I hope these thoughts help you to develop, embrace and follow your own North Star.