Finding YOUR own True North

I was talking to a friend about my first radio show topic, Finding Your Own True North. "How did you find your true north?" I asked. He said, "That's easy. Something tragic happens, you emerge from the fog, eventually, and suddenly everything is more clear and you know what's important and what's not." He had lost his wife suddenly a couple of years before. That kind of loss, I've seen from my clients, brings clarity when someone finds their way through to living life again.

For many of us, our parenting journey becomes a catalyst for discovering who we really are and what is important to us. My guest, Christy Farr, shared how a miscarriage at 12 weeks was the beginning of her empowerment: knowing what was important to her and then being able to take action. For me, it was choosing a midwife instead of an obstetrician when I took my first steps toward what was really true for me.

But outside of those big wake-up calls some of us have experienced directly or indirectly, how do we find our way? How do we know which decisions are right for us and our family and which decisions are not a good fit? How do we find our own True North?

True North is a directional term from the days when we used compasses to find our way. Turns out there is a difference between True North and North on a compass. A compass points to magnetic north and that changes over time. True North doesn't change, but can be harder to find. I read pages of ways to find True North if you're camping and without a compass. It reminded me a bit of those horrible math problems we all had to solve about trains traveling different directions at different speeds that just made my head spin. Some of the examples for finding True North included putting a stick in the ground, marking certain angles, standing on your head, waiting 15 minutes... And so it is with parenting and finding your own True North. Sometimes I think it is most helpful if you do some headstands and twirl around a bit to really get oriented in parenting.

In life's journey and on our journey as parents, which can be harrowing or hilly, when we know where our True North is, things are somewhat easier or at least it feels better than when we don't know our True North or are ignoring it. When we know what is important to us and we're able to voice what is important, we can more easily navigate on our day-to-day journey. But how do we know what to do?

Join me today for my very first Blogtalk Radio show where I explored this very topic with my friend and colleague, Christy Farr! You can listen to the archived version here. Show airs Wednesdays at 1pm EST (NY). You can even call in with your questions or post them in the comments section and I'll try to answer them. On the page, there is even a spot for you to chat with me and ask questions without having to pick up your phone.

So have you found your own True North? Did it take a big event in your life to make things clear or did you find your own way one small step at a time? Or maybe both? I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to add your thoughts to the comment section below.

Thanks for joining me on my latest adventure!

Book Club starts tomorrow!!

The Consciously Parenting Book Club Starts Tomorrow!!

Tomorrow, we'll be delving into the world of Navigating by Inner Guidance and What (on earth) are your child's behaviors communicating?! 


"Inner guidance doesn't have formulaic solutions, but always comes back to connecting with your children in the relationship, holding the importance of everyone's needs whenever possible."

We'll be looking at what it means to parent by inner guidance and we'll look at some tools and some science to help us shift our understanding of our own behaviors and the behaviors of our children. If you're familiar with my Brain Stoplight, we'll be looking to see how it applies to our parenting, along with understanding the concepts of regulation and dysregulation. We'll explore some real life questions and help you apply the ideas to your own life!

If you'd like to see a real life application of these ideas, check out last week's blog, Reconnection, Not Perfection. 

Book Club FAQs
Do I need to have the book to participate?
No! You can join in the calls and you'll get a sense of what the book is about. It is a great opportunity to ask your questions if you've been reading the book, though. Remember, you can get the first three chapters right now at no cost!

I can't make the live calls. Can I still play?
The calls will be recorded live at 10:30am eastern on Wednesdays. If you're unable to join the live call, we'll have the calls available for replay the following weekend. Just sign up for the Book Club and everything you need will be sent to you.

I like being able to listen to calls like this at my own convenience and to listen to them again later. What can I do?
The calls will be available for purchase so you can explore the ideas at your own pace, or explore the ideas again next year or as your children grow. You can purchase them while the series is being recorded at a discount here.

I'd like to purchase the book. Where can I get it?
The book is only available right now through the Consciously Parenting Project's website as a PFD or a downloadable mp3 audio book. Now is a great time to buy the book because we're having an early bird special! Eventually, the book will be available as a printed book, CDs, and in other e-book formats, but we're still working on those.

Do I have to join the Facebook group to participate in the Book Club?
No! You can just listen in on the live call or to the recordings. The Facebook group is intended to be a place to ask questions and continue the discussion with other parents who are exploring the ideas of the book. It is a private group, meaning only those who join the group can read the posts and join in the discussion. Join here. 


The call will be recorded in case you miss it. And do let me know if you have questions for the call by posting on my blog comments or adding questions to the Facebook group. Hope to *see* you tomorrow!