DEFINE YOUR TRUE NORTH

What True North Means

True north is the part of you that points to your deepest commitments. It is not a wish or a habit. It is a clear set of principles and values that shape every choice you make. When you know your true north, you move through life with less noise, less regret, and more intentional courage.

Why Writing Your Values Changes Everything

• Clarity becomes real. Writing a value transfers it from an idea into a decision you can return to.
• Decisions get easier. With values recorded, you stop weighing every option from scratch and start filtering them through a consistent lens.
• Character gains momentum. Rewritten and rehearsed values become habits that guide your spiritual life, work, and relationships.

If you want lasting change, make your values tangible by putting ink to paper.

How to Find and Forge Your Primary Principles

1. Carve out focused time. Block 60 to 90 minutes in a quiet place and treat this meeting with yourself as non-negotiable.
2. Reflect on peak moments. List three times you felt proud, at peace, or deeply fulfilled. Identify the behaviors and beliefs that produced those moments.
3. Name the opposites. Consider moments you regret. What was missing or compromised? The contrast reveals hidden priorities.
4. Draft a short list. Aim for 5 to 9 core principles. Fewer than five risks being vague. More than nine dilutes focus.
5. Write definitions and actions. For each value, write one clear sentence defining it and one specific action that shows it in practice.
6. Test them against real life. Read each aloud and imagine a major decision. Ask whether the value would lead you toward or away from that choice.
7. Refine and rewrite. Values evolve. Rewrite until each one feels like a non-negotiable truth inside your chest.

Examples of Primary Principles

• Passionate — Operate with full commitment, with every action.
• Gritty — Never give up; Never accept less; embrace challenges and overcome them at all cost.
• Clear Mindset — Stick to your principles and let them guide you through everything.
• Integrity — Speak truth, keep promises, perform even when no one is watching.
• Service — Choose contribution over recognition; make others’ wins part of your success.
• Courage — Act despite fear; take responsibility for hard decisions.
• Stewardship — Care for resources, time, relationships, and talents as entrusted gifts.
• Humility — Learn more than you lecture; admit mistakes and invite correction.
• Faithfulness — Prioritize commitments to family, work, and spiritual practices.

Use these as starting language. Change the words until they match how you want to show up.

Make Them Alive Every Day

• Pray on them. Place your list into your spiritual practice and ask for wisdom to live them out.
• Affirm them daily. Speak a short affirmation for each value each morning to prime your mind and heart.
• Anchor them to rituals. Tie values to actions like a morning walk, a weekly planning session, or a family check-in.
• Use them as filters. Before big choices ask, Does this align with my values. Let that answer guide your yes or no.
• Review quarterly. Revisit and revise the list seasonally to reflect growth and lessons learned.

The Challenge

Set aside time in the next seven days to create your list. Write five to nine values. Define each in one sentence and list one concrete action for how you will live it. Pray over them, use them as morning affirmations, and let them steer your next big decision.

Bold your commitments. Name your true north. Then step forward and let the power begin.