Derek Sivers on What's Your Compass?

I just finished Derek Siver's Domino Project book, Anything Your Want. In 77 short pages, Derek shares what he learned from starting, growing, and selling CD Baby.

On page 2 he asks a question that frames the decisions he made as he grew CD Baby from an idea to a company that generated $40 million in revenues just 10 short years later.

What's your compass?

Most people don't know why they're doing what they're doing. They imitate others, go with the flow, and follow paths without making their own. They spend decades in pursuit of something that someone convinced them they should want, without realizing that it won't make them happy. Don't be on your deathbed someday, having squandered your one chance at life, full of regret because your pursued little distractions instead of big dreams. You need to know your personal philosophy of what makes you happy and what's worth doing.

Our personal philosophy is our compass. It combines our mission or hopes for the future with our mindset and beliefs about what is important and what we value. Without a compass, any path will do.

Take Action: Take some time this weekend and capture your personal philosophy–mission and mindset–on paper. Then use it to guide your decisions in the week to come.