May 18, 2013

The Best Way To Get Unstuck (The Compass Exercise)

I often create verbal and written exercises for my clients to discover new things about themselves.  I came up with this one a few weeks ago and it has been giving a lot of different people a bunch of break throughs.

Give it a shot and you just might learn something about yourself (Introspection YAY!)

Heads up: it will take you about 15-20 minutes to do properly, but will pay dividends in removing stress from your life and giving you a sense of direction.

Answer each of these five questions, with five separate written responses for each.

1. How can I contribute to the world and make it a better place for others?

(five answers)

2. What habits can I practice to make myself a happier and better person?

(five answers)

3. What can I do today to improve someone’s life?

(five answers)

4. What could I do today to make myself 5% happier?

(five answers)

5. Who currently needs some support from me, and in what way?

(five answers)

So make sure you answer each of the questions, with five answers each (for a total of 25 written responses).

Got it?

Are you sure?

Alright, moving on…

Now I want you to go through all five of the sections and write a big capital  “H” next to the one in each section that you could do the fastest and with the least effort.

Got it? Great.

Next step…

Go through each section and find the response that is the most difficult to implement.  For whatever reason, one of them will feel like it is the most challenging.  Next to these answers I want you to write a capital “C”.

Still keeping up?

Once you have made your decisions, I want you to write up your two lists of H’s and C’s.

As you take a look at your list of H’s, realize that these are your Habits… your short term goals… the things that you have deemed as making you the happiest in the least amount of time.

Your list of C’s are your Challenges… your longer-term goals… your obstacles.

There are a hundred contingencies that I can’t account for through this medium, but I’m guessing that after having completed the exercise, your life seems a little bit clearer.

Are the ‘habits’ a bit TOO easy?  Maybe you need to focus more on integrating challenges into your life to allow yourself to grow.

The final step in this process, is to commit to doing one ‘habit’ and one ‘challenge’ by the end of the week.  I believe in you!

To your success,

Jordan

Jordan Gray
About Jordan Gray

Jordan Gray has been a sex and relationship coach for over 15+ years, with his work reaching over 200 million people worldwide. His writing has been featured in Vogue, GQ, The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, and countless other publications around the world. When he’s not working with 1-on-1 coaching clients or writing a new article, he’s most likely to be found reading, chopping wood, or spending time with his wife on a little island off the west coast of Canada.

Blog

Related

See All
5 Types Of Compliments That Melt A Man’s Heart
Feb 11, 2024
Jordan Gray
5 Types Of Compliments That Melt A Man’s Heart
Men need compliments too. And yet, most men were more-likely-than-not raised in a way where they were fairly compliment starved. Think about it... It's easy to imagine a woman complimenting another woman. It's also easy to imagine a man complimenting a woman. But when we do an honest audit...
Continue Reading
Seasonal Affective Disorder: 5 Tips To Prevent It Completely
Oct 22, 2017
Jordan Gray
Seasonal Affective Disorder: 5 Tips To Prevent It Completely
I had a reader question come in a few days ago that I found interesting enough to respond to in full, and I've decided to share it publicly so that others may benefit. - "Hey Jordan, I suffer from seasonal affective disorder. I live in the Pacific Northwest and I definitely feel the...
Continue Reading
6 Simple Steps To Ruin A Relationship
Feb 25, 2014
Jordan Gray
6 Simple Steps To Ruin A Relationship
You've seen them… Walking down the street hand in hand… gazing lovingly at each other… ridiculously large smiles plastered across their face... That's right… I'm talking about happy couples. How revolting. Make sure you never become like those people by following these six simple steps to...
Continue Reading
3 Things That All Driven Men Need In A Partner
Apr 14, 2014
Jordan Gray
3 Things That All Driven Men Need In A Partner
Driven men, successful men, and entrepreneurial men all have something in common… They all yearn for an emotionally fulfilling relationship. Sure, all people crave a highly functioning and fulfilling relationship. But in my career as a relationship coach I have consistently seen driven, high-achieving...
Continue Reading
5 Ways Your Cell Phone Can Improve Your Relationship
Apr 19, 2015
Jordan Gray
5 Ways Your Cell Phone Can Improve Your Relationship
Cell phones get a lot of flack when it comes to how we interact with each other in our relationships. But technology is a neutral entity. It’s how we use our phones that matters. Yes, if you text each other more than you talk face to face, you can experience pain in your relationship. But if you harness...
Continue Reading
How To Fiercely Protect Your Time
Nov 6, 2016
Jordan Gray
How To Fiercely Protect Your Time
Here’s a problem that you haven’t been giving enough thought to… We live in the age of distraction, and your life is full of time vampires. Your beeping cell phone demands your attention. A loose acquaintance that you don’t really know very well reaches out to you on Facebook and asks to grab coffee/lunch/a...
Continue Reading