The Stoic Map and Compass

Instruction manual for the fifth tool in the Stoic Go-Bag

Here it is, the fifth and final tool in the Stoic Go-Bag: The Map and Compass. I know, it seems fairly plain after all the Regulators and Controllers but that is what’s great about it. It is meant to be simple and guide you to where you have decided to go. This is the tool that keeps you on track after all that hard work you’ve put in with the other tools.

The Map allows you to zoom out and see the big picture, something we often forget to do. We can see that our problems are just small obstacles on a bigger journey. We can see where those paths lead and either keep the course we have plotted or make a necessary detour with a full understanding of where we’re headed.

The compass keeps everything we have uncovered with the other tools in mind. It allows us to navigate using our individual virtues as the headings. It prevents us from wandering in circles along the path. When we inevitably get lost or frustrated, our compass points us in the right direction.

The Map and Compass represent our discipline to actively live life according to our virtues and the ability to take a bird’s eye view every once in a while and check our course and correct our heading if needed. They show us where we started and, more importantly, where we have chosen to go.

These tools represent the most important aspect of philosophy which is putting it into action and using it to navigate through life. By allowing virtue to guide us, focusing on what we can control, choosing our challenges and having the wisdom to see the benefit of the ones we don’t choose, and an elevated view of the journey to keep us on track we inevitably reach a place where we are happier and more fulfilled in our lives and careers.

I hope you have enjoyed this series and can apply the tools in your daily life to give yourself a boost where it matters. Stoicism has dramatically improved my life over the last four years. It helped me through my struggle with mental health and burnout. It guided me through the Covid and the madness that was the summer of 2020. It helped me change the path of my career when I realized the departments I was working for weren’t serving my best interests. Most importantly, Stoicism has helped me become a better husband and father.

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