Your Direction is your clarity about the path ahead of you. It’s what your long-term goals are, your big vision. It’s knowing which way you’d turn when faced with a choice. Without a clear sense of Direction, you can feel lost in the wood and overwhelmed when you have to make decisions. You might second-guess decisions you’ve already made.
A strong sense of Direction sounds like:
- ‘In a few years’ time I’d really like to be running my own business.’
- ‘I’ve been offered an opportunity to spend a year abroad. I thought about it hard, but I turned it down – it wasn’t a good fit for me.’
- ‘I left a job last year because I felt my progression opportunities were limited. The company did well this year and I could have got a significant bonus if I’d stuck around for a while longer, but I made the right call for me.’
A weak sense of Direction sounds like:
- ‘I’m still waiting for someone to offer me the role I feel I deserve. They know where I am.’
- ‘I open my emails in the morning, start working through the crises and hope I get the critical stuff finished by the end of the day. I don’t have the time to think about what I actually want to be doing.’
- ‘I did sketch out the beginnings of a plan last year for what I wanted to achieve, but I think it ended up in one of my desk drawers. Can’t remember.’