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Chapter 3: Set Your Compass — Based on Where You Want to Be, Not Where You Are

​

“Don’t let past roles or skills define your future. Choose a direction that aligns with your desired life, then aim your strategy toward it.”

​

Chapter 1 was about self-understanding and Chapter 2 was about gaining clarity through others, Chapter 3 is about choosing a direction — a deliberate re-orientation toward the life you actually want.

​

Most people drift not because they lack ambition, but because their compass is still calibrated to where they’ve been. They make decisions from identity inertia: what they’ve done, what they’re known for, what’s safe. But real progress — the kind that feels right — begins the moment you set your direction by where you want to go instead.

 

​

Why This Matters

 

1. The gravitational pull of identity

​

Psychologists call it identity foreclosure — when people commit to a self-concept too early and stop exploring alternatives. Once a label (“sales leader,” “operations pro,” “engineer”) sticks, our brains start filtering everything through that frame. We interpret opportunity through the lens of who we’ve been, not who we might become.

​

In parallel, anchoring bias keeps us tethered to old coordinates: we compare every new possibility to the last salary, title, or field we occupied. Over time, the familiar becomes invisible handcuffs.

​

Careers evolve like orbits — and every orbit eventually needs a shift in gravity. Your compass is what breaks that pull.

​

2. The psychology of “possible selves”

​

Research from the University of Michigan introduced the concept of possible selves — the future versions of ourselves we can imagine becoming. These imagined selves serve as both motivation and roadmap. People who articulate a vivid “future self” are more likely to make intentional choices and adapt to change effectively (APA, 2022).

​

In other words: the clearer your internal compass, the more resilient and purposeful your external moves.

 

 

How to Do It Well

​

Setting a compass is not about plotting every turn — it’s about defining the direction of travel.

​

A. Start with vision, not logistics

​

Ask:

 

  • “What kind of life am I building toward?”

  • “What environments bring out my best energy?”

  • “What would a day in my ideal future look and feel like?”

 

Write your answers as if they’ve already happened: “I start my day with energy; I lead conversations that change outcomes; I end the week proud, not depleted.”

​

This isn’t daydreaming — it’s recalibration. Neuroscience shows that imagining future states activates the same neural pathways as real experiences, strengthening motivation and persistence (Harvard Business Review, 2020).

​

B. Translate your vision into filters

​

Your compass becomes practical when it turns into decision filters. For example:

 

  • Energy filter: Does this role give me energy or drain it?

  • Alignment filter: Does this direction support the life I’m designing?

  • Growth filter: Does this move expand who I’m becoming or repeat what I’ve mastered?

 

If the answer to all three is yes, you’re heading north.

​

C. Write your “Compass Statement”

​

A simple, one-sentence articulation of where you’re steering toward.

​

“I’m aligning my work with impact and creativity — leading teams that build, not just maintain.”

​

“I’m moving toward a life with more freedom and mentorship — not just productivity.”

​

The compass statement isn’t a tagline. It’s your quiet commitment to the direction that matters most.

​

 

Vignette: Jordan’s Turning Point

​

Jordan had always been the dependable one — known for execution, structure, and calm in chaos. After a decade in project management, Jordan could manage anything: budgets, vendors, crises.

​

But not the question: “Do I even want to keep doing this?”

​

When Jordan began reflecting, she realized every role she'd accepted had been a reaction — a logical next step in a path someone else once outlined. Jordan's identity had fossilized around competence.

​

One morning, sitting in a quiet kitchen, she drew a compass on paper. Instead of “north, south, east, west,” she labeled it with words that captured the life she wanted: meaning, creativity, autonomy, impact.

​

Then she asked: “If this compass guided my next move, where would it point me?”

​

Within weeks, Jordan wasn’t scouring job boards. She was designing a career transformation — exploring opportunities that matched those four words. When an offer came from a sustainability startup that blended process discipline with purpose, Jordan knew immediately: this was true north.

​

Job history didn’t define Jordan's next step. Her compass did.

​

 

Best Practices

​

  • Think in horizons, not ladders. Direction matters more than promotion.

  • Document your North Star. Write your compass statement and keep it visible.

  • Revisit quarterly. Compasses drift; recalibrate as your life evolves.

  • Share it selectively. Trusted voices can help you see where your compass wobbles.

  • Validate with action. Try small experiments aligned with your compass before committing fully.

 

 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

​

  • Confusing goals with direction. Goals are destinations; direction is the journey’s logic.

  • Overplanning. You don’t need a ten-year map — you need a two-degree tilt toward what feels right.

  • Ignoring dissonance. If something feels “off,” don’t rationalize it away. That tension is feedback.

  • Chasing change for its own sake. A new role isn’t progress if it doesn’t move you closer to your compass.

  • Letting old labels linger. You’re not confined to what’s on your résumé. Identities evolve.

 

 

Final Thought

​

Setting your compass isn’t about predicting the future — it’s about protecting your direction.

 

Every job, project, or chapter will pull you slightly off-course. That’s normal. What matters is the act of re-orienting — of remembering that your career exists to serve your life, not the other way around.

 

A clear compass doesn’t make every decision easy. It makes them meaningful.

 

 

References

​

Original Post on LinkedIn.  October 5th, 2025

~ Nicholas Brandenburg (Founder, Higher Impact People)

"Set Your Compass" — Higher Impact People — Career Transition Guide

Chapter 3: Set Your Compass — Based on Where You Want to Be, Not Where You Are

​

“Don’t let past roles or skills define your future. Choose a direction that aligns with your desired life, then aim your strategy toward it.”

​

Chapter 1 was about self-understanding and Chapter 2 was about gaining clarity through others, Chapter 3 is about choosing a direction — a deliberate re-orientation toward the life you actually want.

​

Most people drift not because they lack ambition, but because their compass is still calibrated to where they’ve been. They make decisions from identity inertia: what they’ve done, what they’re known for, what’s safe. But real progress — the kind that feels right — begins the moment you set your direction by where you want to go instead.

 

​

Why This Matters

 

1. The gravitational pull of identity

​

Psychologists call it identity foreclosure — when people commit to a self-concept too early and stop exploring alternatives. Once a label (“sales leader,” “operations pro,” “engineer”) sticks, our brains start filtering everything through that frame. We interpret opportunity through the lens of who we’ve been, not who we might become.

​

In parallel, anchoring bias keeps us tethered to old coordinates: we compare every new possibility to the last salary, title, or field we occupied. Over time, the familiar becomes invisible handcuffs.

​

Careers evolve like orbits — and every orbit eventually needs a shift in gravity. Your compass is what breaks that pull.

​

2. The psychology of “possible selves”

​

Research from the University of Michigan introduced the concept of possible selves — the future versions of ourselves we can imagine becoming. These imagined selves serve as both motivation and roadmap. People who articulate a vivid “future self” are more likely to make intentional choices and adapt to change effectively (APA, 2022).

​

In other words: the clearer your internal compass, the more resilient and purposeful your external moves.

 

 

How to Do It Well

​

Setting a compass is not about plotting every turn — it’s about defining the direction of travel.

​

A. Start with vision, not logistics

​

Ask:

 

  • “What kind of life am I building toward?”

  • “What environments bring out my best energy?”

  • “What would a day in my ideal future look and feel like?”

 

Write your answers as if they’ve already happened: “I start my day with energy; I lead conversations that change outcomes; I end the week proud, not depleted.”

​

This isn’t daydreaming — it’s recalibration. Neuroscience shows that imagining future states activates the same neural pathways as real experiences, strengthening motivation and persistence (Harvard Business Review, 2020).

​

B. Translate your vision into filters

​

Your compass becomes practical when it turns into decision filters. For example:

 

  • Energy filter: Does this role give me energy or drain it?

  • Alignment filter: Does this direction support the life I’m designing?

  • Growth filter: Does this move expand who I’m becoming or repeat what I’ve mastered?

 

If the answer to all three is yes, you’re heading north.

​

C. Write your “Compass Statement”

​

A simple, one-sentence articulation of where you’re steering toward.

​

“I’m aligning my work with impact and creativity — leading teams that build, not just maintain.”

​

“I’m moving toward a life with more freedom and mentorship — not just productivity.”

​

The compass statement isn’t a tagline. It’s your quiet commitment to the direction that matters most.

​

 

Vignette: Jordan’s Turning Point

​

Jordan had always been the dependable one — known for execution, structure, and calm in chaos. After a decade in project management, Jordan could manage anything: budgets, vendors, crises.

​

But not the question: “Do I even want to keep doing this?”

​

When Jordan began reflecting, she realized every role she'd accepted had been a reaction — a logical next step in a path someone else once outlined. Jordan's identity had fossilized around competence.

​

One morning, sitting in a quiet kitchen, she drew a compass on paper. Instead of “north, south, east, west,” she labeled it with words that captured the life she wanted: meaning, creativity, autonomy, impact.

​

Then she asked: “If this compass guided my next move, where would it point me?”

​

Within weeks, Jordan wasn’t scouring job boards. She was designing a career transformation — exploring opportunities that matched those four words. When an offer came from a sustainability startup that blended process discipline with purpose, Jordan knew immediately: this was true north.

​

Job history didn’t define Jordan's next step. Her compass did.

​

 

Best Practices

​

  • Think in horizons, not ladders. Direction matters more than promotion.

  • Document your North Star. Write your compass statement and keep it visible.

  • Revisit quarterly. Compasses drift; recalibrate as your life evolves.

  • Share it selectively. Trusted voices can help you see where your compass wobbles.

  • Validate with action. Try small experiments aligned with your compass before committing fully.

 

 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

​

  • Confusing goals with direction. Goals are destinations; direction is the journey’s logic.

  • Overplanning. You don’t need a ten-year map — you need a two-degree tilt toward what feels right.

  • Ignoring dissonance. If something feels “off,” don’t rationalize it away. That tension is feedback.

  • Chasing change for its own sake. A new role isn’t progress if it doesn’t move you closer to your compass.

  • Letting old labels linger. You’re not confined to what’s on your résumé. Identities evolve.

 

 

Final Thought

​

Setting your compass isn’t about predicting the future — it’s about protecting your direction.

 

Every job, project, or chapter will pull you slightly off-course. That’s normal. What matters is the act of re-orienting — of remembering that your career exists to serve your life, not the other way around.

 

A clear compass doesn’t make every decision easy. It makes them meaningful.

 

 

References

​

Original Post on LinkedIn.  October 5th, 2025

~ Nicholas Brandenburg (Founder, Higher Impact People)

"Set Your Compass" — Higher Impact People — Career Transition Guide

Chapter 3: Set Your Compass — Based on Where You Want to Be, Not Where You Are

​

“Don’t let past roles or skills define your future. Choose a direction that aligns with your desired life, then aim your strategy toward it.”

​

Chapter 1 was about self-understanding and Chapter 2 was about gaining clarity through others, Chapter 3 is about choosing a direction — a deliberate re-orientation toward the life you actually want.

​

Most people drift not because they lack ambition, but because their compass is still calibrated to where they’ve been. They make decisions from identity inertia: what they’ve done, what they’re known for, what’s safe. But real progress — the kind that feels right — begins the moment you set your direction by where you want to go instead.

 

​

Why This Matters

 

1. The gravitational pull of identity

​

Psychologists call it identity foreclosure — when people commit to a self-concept too early and stop exploring alternatives. Once a label (“sales leader,” “operations pro,” “engineer”) sticks, our brains start filtering everything through that frame. We interpret opportunity through the lens of who we’ve been, not who we might become.

​

In parallel, anchoring bias keeps us tethered to old coordinates: we compare every new possibility to the last salary, title, or field we occupied. Over time, the familiar becomes invisible handcuffs.

​

Careers evolve like orbits — and every orbit eventually needs a shift in gravity. Your compass is what breaks that pull.

​

2. The psychology of “possible selves”

​

Research from the University of Michigan introduced the concept of possible selves — the future versions of ourselves we can imagine becoming. These imagined selves serve as both motivation and roadmap. People who articulate a vivid “future self” are more likely to make intentional choices and adapt to change effectively (APA, 2022).

​

In other words: the clearer your internal compass, the more resilient and purposeful your external moves.

 

 

How to Do It Well

​

Setting a compass is not about plotting every turn — it’s about defining the direction of travel.

​

A. Start with vision, not logistics

​

Ask:

 

  • “What kind of life am I building toward?”

  • “What environments bring out my best energy?”

  • “What would a day in my ideal future look and feel like?”

 

Write your answers as if they’ve already happened: “I start my day with energy; I lead conversations that change outcomes; I end the week proud, not depleted.”

​

This isn’t daydreaming — it’s recalibration. Neuroscience shows that imagining future states activates the same neural pathways as real experiences, strengthening motivation and persistence (Harvard Business Review, 2020).

​

B. Translate your vision into filters

​

Your compass becomes practical when it turns into decision filters. For example:

 

  • Energy filter: Does this role give me energy or drain it?

  • Alignment filter: Does this direction support the life I’m designing?

  • Growth filter: Does this move expand who I’m becoming or repeat what I’ve mastered?

 

If the answer to all three is yes, you’re heading north.

​

C. Write your “Compass Statement”

​

A simple, one-sentence articulation of where you’re steering toward.

​

“I’m aligning my work with impact and creativity — leading teams that build, not just maintain.”

​

“I’m moving toward a life with more freedom and mentorship — not just productivity.”

​

The compass statement isn’t a tagline. It’s your quiet commitment to the direction that matters most.

​

 

Vignette: Jordan’s Turning Point

​

Jordan had always been the dependable one — known for execution, structure, and calm in chaos. After a decade in project management, Jordan could manage anything: budgets, vendors, crises.

​

But not the question: “Do I even want to keep doing this?”

​

When Jordan began reflecting, she realized every role she'd accepted had been a reaction — a logical next step in a path someone else once outlined. Jordan's identity had fossilized around competence.

​

One morning, sitting in a quiet kitchen, she drew a compass on paper. Instead of “north, south, east, west,” she labeled it with words that captured the life she wanted: meaning, creativity, autonomy, impact.

​

Then she asked: “If this compass guided my next move, where would it point me?”

​

Within weeks, Jordan wasn’t scouring job boards. She was designing a career transformation — exploring opportunities that matched those four words. When an offer came from a sustainability startup that blended process discipline with purpose, Jordan knew immediately: this was true north.

​

Job history didn’t define Jordan's next step. Her compass did.

​

 

Best Practices

​

  • Think in horizons, not ladders. Direction matters more than promotion.

  • Document your North Star. Write your compass statement and keep it visible.

  • Revisit quarterly. Compasses drift; recalibrate as your life evolves.

  • Share it selectively. Trusted voices can help you see where your compass wobbles.

  • Validate with action. Try small experiments aligned with your compass before committing fully.

 

 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

​

  • Confusing goals with direction. Goals are destinations; direction is the journey’s logic.

  • Overplanning. You don’t need a ten-year map — you need a two-degree tilt toward what feels right.

  • Ignoring dissonance. If something feels “off,” don’t rationalize it away. That tension is feedback.

  • Chasing change for its own sake. A new role isn’t progress if it doesn’t move you closer to your compass.

  • Letting old labels linger. You’re not confined to what’s on your résumé. Identities evolve.

 

 

Final Thought

​

Setting your compass isn’t about predicting the future — it’s about protecting your direction.

 

Every job, project, or chapter will pull you slightly off-course. That’s normal. What matters is the act of re-orienting — of remembering that your career exists to serve your life, not the other way around.

 

A clear compass doesn’t make every decision easy. It makes them meaningful.

 

 

References

​

Original Post on LinkedIn.  October 5th, 2025

~ Nicholas Brandenburg (Founder, Higher Impact People)

"Set Your Compass" — Higher Impact People — Career Transition Guide

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