The Internal Compass

What if there was such a thing as an internal compass? You know, something that instinctually points you in right direction? Have you ever had that feeling that you should be doing something you're not? And I'm not just talking about going to work out instead of watching Sex and the City. I mean significant decisions. For example, have you left a job interview and just knew that's where you were supposed to be? Or, have your worked in a position that once challenged you but now just makes you feel stuck in a rut? And how about dating? You know, the time when you just knew that guy (or girl!) was bad news. Call me crazy but a nagging conscience, to me, signals an internal compass.

Here's what I mean. I have a coworker who was with the company for over ten years but she always wanted to be a mom. And after some incredibly difficult times trying to have kids of her own, she and her husband were finally able to adopt a newborn a little over a year ago. Then, it happened. The internal compass starting pointing. She started to become conflicted over whether or not she should continue working full-time, and it didn't take long for that nagging conscience to go from a whisper to an all-out shout. I remember having many "pep talks" with her about her decision to leave -- the financial consequences of working part-time, the emotional strain on her if she stayed -- it was a hard decision for her. But the internal compass won out. She left her full-time job when her son was nine months old.

Then there's my dear friend who I affectionately call "Paranoid Polly." She is absolutely the sweetest person I know but she worries about everything. She the kind of girl who takes her birth control pill every morning at 6:30 am on the dot so her "schedule" doesn't get thrown off. I love her! She and her long-time boyfriend talked about relocating about eight months ago so they could be closer to his family. That was met with all kinds of discussion about timing and marriage and job change. You know, serious stuff. But "the timing" was bad and he had a job opportunity come up that pretty much made the decision for them to stick around a little longer. Then it happened. The bad economy affected his new job and before they knew it, he gave 30-day notice on his apartment and moved closer to his family with a matter of two weeks.

She got really anxious -- everything was happening so fast. But I reminded her that this is what they had planned all along. It was just happening at an accelerated rate. But the internal compass pointed, and her case, circumstances drove the car right to the spot on the map. Now she's applying to grad school in the new city and planning to join him later this year.

So the way I see it, it can be by choice, by circumstance, or by happenstance but when the compass points, it's a sign of the direction we should be headed. Otherwise, that whisper will start to shout.

So, I ask you -- are you and your internal compass traveling the same path, heading for the same destination?