Are You Living in Your True North? By John P. Slosek, Jr. — The Insurance Coach™ I have found, through my own life experience, that without question, we will always face the ups and downs of life. Sometimes I sit back and think, John, you're 68 years old! How did this happen? The years flew by. The beauty of the human mind is that it stores memories going back many years. Truthfully, some of those memories are great, some are good, and some—not so good. That's life.
Each of us finds a way to forge ahead, one way or another. Decision after decision, mistake after mistake, success after success, we eventually establish a course. Over time, that course becomes a path, and that path ultimately becomes the life we are living. So here is the big question I want to ask my fellow readers:
Are you living in your True North? What is your True North?
My answer is this: True North is the place in life where you begin to understand who you really are, what you truly value, and the direction you want your life to take. It is when your actions, values, heart, and purpose begin pointing in the same direction. And with that alignment can come an immense sense of fulfillment within yourself.
As you read that answer, do you feel that way?
Perhaps the road once felt obvious. We knew what we were supposed to want: the right career, the right relationship, the right house, the right version of success. We moved forward because everyone around us seemed to be moving in the same direction. But eventually, the noise begins to fade.
The goals that once motivated us can start to feel strangely hollow. The approval we once chased may no longer feel like proof that we're on the right path.
True North is more than a destination. It is an inner direction—a sense of what matters most, even when the route ahead is unclear.
Think about an actual compass. It does not tell us every mountain we will climb or every storm we will face. It doesn't tell us where the potholes are or where we're going to make a wrong turn. It simply gives us a reliable point of reference. Our True North can do the same thing.
I challenge you to ask the person standing in the mirror—you.
And it goes much deeper than simply asking whether you're happy. It entails who you are from within: your heart, your soul, your character, and your values.
Right now, is your life aligned with what you imagined when you were younger?
Are the things you once thought were important still important?
Are you spending your time on the people and things that truly matter to you?
And when you look into that mirror, can you honestly say:
“I am living in my True North.”
That's a defining question.
And it takes courage to answer it honestly.
Finding your True North does not necessarily mean discovering one perfect purpose hidden deep inside you, waiting to be uncovered. It may be less like finding buried treasure and more like finally learning to recognize the signals you have ignored.
Our energy, curiosity, frustration, envy, grief, and joy can all offer clues. So can those moments when we feel most honest, most useful, most fulfilled, or simply most alive.
The challenge is that modern life gives us countless directions to follow.
We are surrounded by other people's definitions of happiness, success, beauty, wealth, and belonging. We can mistake popularity for meaning, productivity for progress, possessions for success, and comfort for contentment.
And without even realizing it, we may spend years confidently walking toward a life we never consciously chose.
Sometimes finding our direction requires silence.
It might be a quiet morning before the rest of the world wakes up. It might be a long walk without headphones. It might come during a difficult conversation or from a question that simply refuses to leave us alone:
If no one were watching, what would I choose?
The answer may not arrive immediately. Sometimes the first step is simply becoming still enough to hear yourself think.
Your True North may change as you grow older. The things that mattered at 25 may look very different at 45, 65, or 85. But the deeper values beneath them can remain remarkably steady. Those values become the stars by which we navigate—not necessarily telling us exactly where to go, but reminding us of who we want to be while we're getting there.
And maybe that's the lesson I've begun to understand after 68 years. None of us gets a perfect map.
There will be wrong turns. There will be roads we wish we had never taken. There will be people we wish we had held onto longer, decisions we wish we could change, opportunities we missed, and moments we would give almost anything to experience one more time.
But yesterday's road is already behind us. The only direction we can change is the one we choose from this moment forward. So sometime today, find a mirror.
Don't look at the wrinkles. Don't look at the gray hair. Don't look at the person the rest of the world sees. Look at the person behind those eyes and ask one simple question:
“Am I living in my True North?”
If the answer is yes, be grateful—and keep following your compass. If the answer is no, don't be afraid of that answer. Because recognizing that you're traveling in the wrong direction may be the very moment you finally discover the right one. You don't have to change your entire life tomorrow.
You simply have to make sure that the next step you take is pointing in the right direction.
And perhaps that is what finding your True North is really all about.
About the Author
John P. Slosek Jr. is the founder of Slosek Insurance Corporation, established in 1984 and still serving clients today. For more than 40 years, John has worked in the insurance industry helping individuals, families, and business owners better understand protection, risk, and financial responsibility. In addition to operating his and his wife’s insurance agency, John has spent over 30 years as a motivational and self-improvement speaker, focusing on common-sense life lessons, personal growth, and real-world decision-making. John is also the host of The Insurance Coach® radio show, heard every Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. on Classic Hits 97.7. www.classichits977.com (Hit Listen Live). The program combines insurance education, life experiences, motivational insight, and practical advice designed to help listeners make better decisions for themselves and their families. John proudly resides in Massachusetts with his family and enjoys spending time with his children, grandchildren and his two Golden Doodles Maggie & Morgan.
