Why You Need A North Star in Your Life

In business, the term “north star” gets thrown around a lot, when discussing the long term goals and achievements of a company.

It’s paramount to the overall success and trajectory of a business, and having a north star could be the difference between success and failure in the long run.

But, it’s a term that often exists exclusively amongst businesses, and not individuals.

Well, why?

Sure, we all have goals, dreams and aspirations, but we never seem to use the term “north star”, like businesses do.

I want to change this, and in this blog, I’m going to help you identify your north star, so you can:

• Make better decisions.

• Live a more fulfilling life.

• Get to where you truly want to be.

What is A North Star?

A north star in business terms, by definition, is the overall mission you’re set out to achieve, and the “guiding value that drives you forward.”

Like I said earlier, it’s mainly used in business, and businesses use metrics to track their progress towards their north stars.

Some examples of north star metrics are:

• Facebook — Monthly Active Users

• Spotify — Time Spent Listening

• Amazon — Purchases Per Month

• AirBnB — Booked Nights

• LinkedIn — Monthly Active Users

• WhatsApp — Messages Sent

You get the idea.

And when it comes to a person, you can use the same structure to align your north star with the actions you take on a daily basis.

• Money invested (e.g $100 a month)

• Time spent reading & learning a new skill (e.g 1 hour a day)

• Time spent in the gym (e.g 5 hours a week)

But when you’re first thinking about your north star, it can be much simpler than this.

Your north star is a vision.

A dream scenario, which you can take actions every day to work towards.

My north star?

I’m on a beach. A quiet beach, which I live close to. Somewhere hot, and uncrowded. I go there regularly, to relax. Because, I can. No stress. No worry. Completely free from unwanted obligations.

It really is that simple, and when I think about this beach every day, it enables me to make better decisions that’ll help me get there.

Things such as:

• Not wasting money

• Delaying my gratification

• Not becoming a slave to materialism

Why? Because none of these things matter to me.

The only thing that matters, is that beach.

So, take a quick second to think about where you want to be in a few years time.

And crucially… are you making decisions today, that will help you get there?

Creating Your North Star

Your north star doesn’t have to be detailed, or even remotely complex.

For me, it’s just a vision, of being on a beach, free of stress and worry.

A vision I have of myself in about 10 years time, and where I want to be.

It’s something that I think about several times a day, but not for too long, though.

Take a minute…

Where do you want to be in 10 years? What’s your goal?

• Living the high life in a vibrant, busy city?

• Travelling the world and living out of a backpack?

• Chilling on a beach with some close friends?

Plan out a scenario in your head where you believe you’ll be at your happiest.

• Weather.

• People.

• Location.

• Occupation.

Give it as much thought as you want, and think about it as often as possible.

Why You Need A North Star

A north star, like a business, is crucial for success and staying on the right path.

Constant reminder of where you want to be.

A north star acts as a constant reminder that you’re not where you want to be, and that you shouldn’t settle for what you have if you’re unhappy.

Instead, you should aspire to constantly improve and build a better life for yourself.

But crucially…

It’s a life that you want, and nobody can talk you out of working towards it.

It will help you make better decisions.

We all have important decisions to make, and our north star can help us make the choice that’s going to help us to get to where we want to be.

Without a north star, you’re more likely to make poor decisions, more often than not, sacrificing the better option for the one that’ll bring you joy in the moment.

One of the best ways to avoid this? Having a north star, and thinking about it regularly.

But remember…

It’s not just a goal that you have written down somewhere. It’s got to be engrained in your mind.

A vision, that you have several times a day, to keep you on track to living a the life you want.

Become obsessed with it, and let it consume you.

It’ll force you to make better decisions.

You’ll never lack drive/motivation.

I might be reaching a bit here, but when I look around, I see a lot of hopelessness in the world.

People with no real goals or ambitions, and so resort to cheap dopamine to get by.

• Gambling.

• Drugs.

• Alcohol.

When you have something big to work towards, and you’re constantly reminding yourself of it, all this other stuff simply doesn’t matter.

You reach a very powerful point where you’re able to sacrifice the cheap thrills for something that you know is going to make you a much happier and more fulfilled person.

And it all starts with a simple thought about where you actually want to be in a few years time.

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