(Please note, this story was originally published on a previous blog on 9th March 2020)
Two days ago I was at a Church conference.
I was struck by a story the preacher was telling about an SAS soldier he knew.
The SAS soldier told him he is always guided by the four points on a compass.
They guide his actions, thoughts, and life, and drive him to complete his missions.
He went on to explain:
A compass has four points:
N – North: This is your North star. This is what directs everything you do. It’s where you fix your eyes.
This is your vision.
This is what drives you to do what you do and the reason behind every action you take.
E – Ethos: Where do you draw your line?
What will you do? What won’t you do?
Knowing your immutable laws will help you decide on your strategy, and will guide your difficult decisions.
S – Strategy: This is HOW you will achieve what you are trying to achieve.
A clear strategy means you know exactly what you need to do next when you need to do it, and how you will do it.
It allows for contingencies, for things going wrong, and for those times when things take less time than expected.
W – Warrior Spirit: This is what you need to get through those tough times. Life isn’t all roses. There are times you need to fight. And there are times you need to rest. A good warrior fights hard and rests well, ready for the fight that is yet to come.
Action Points:
- Identify what drives you. WHY do you own a business? What makes you get up every day to do the thing you do?
- Write your own immutable Laws. What self-imposed rules will you never break?
- Identify the next three steps you need to take to get to where you want to go. And take action today!
- Remember a time you had to fight for something. Remember how good it felt when you won the battle.
If you’re brave enough, write your answers to these action points in the comments below.