Where Does Your Moral Compass Guide You?

This list below is by no means exhaustive.  So it begs the question:

For what reasons do you carry a moral compass?

We recently spoke with a mental health professional who believes that individuals not only need someone to share life with or “Someone To Tell It To”, but also need a moral compass to guide them. 

So where does your moral compass guide you?

For us, the word we most often use is GRACE. 

Grace enables us to recognize, that in our common humanity, we are all challenged by fears, vulnerabilities, temptations, and imperfections.  Grace enables us to look beyond someone’s outer shell and the tendency to judge superficially and instead to look more deeply into a person’s soul.  Grace enables us to gain a fuller understanding of who they really are.  Grace enables us to speak greater truths into someone’s life, truths such as: someone’s worthiness, someone’s belovedness, someone’s compassion, someone’s hopes, someone’s joy, someone’s loves. 

1. A moral compass provides guidelines in tricky situations.

Let’s say you’re on a second or third date with someone you hardly know. He’s pushy in a way that’s uncomfortable. Or she’s getting a little too physical way too soon for you. You want to slow things down tactfully, but how? Your moral compass gives you the confidence to say “I really want to know you better first” before things get out of hand.

2. A moral compass can make up for shortcomings.

Maybe you’re traveling and get lost in a small town where you don’t speak the language—and nobody speaks yours. What do you do? Rely on courtesy, humility and respect to ask for help and get you back on a well-traveled road. Gestures and drawing pictures helps too, but more people want to help someone who’s pleasant than someone who isn’t.

3. A moral compass can keep love alive.

In any close relationship, conflicts happen. Lovers get hurt, partners get frustrated, children get angry. Deciding on ‘the right thing’ to do, no matter how difficult, can mean the difference between a screaming, cursing, blaming session or weeks of silence, and a conflict resolved in a way that works for everyone. Of course, you might first need to figure out what the ‘right thing’ is.

4. A moral compass can protect you.

My moral compass says it’s not OK to be rude to me, lie to me, speak disrespectfully to me, or treat me poorly in any way, especially not as a pattern or without explanation or discussion. This is often called setting boundaries, and it gives me the confidence to move forward in a situation or to step back—or even out.

5. A moral compass can help your business flourish.

Morality in business? Sure. Whether it’s called business ethics or a moral compass, what company can survive with unfriendly, unhelpful customer service? How long do employees last, assuming they have a choice, if management belittles them, treats them unfairly, or makes unethical decisions? I’ve heard Steve Jobs was near impossible to work with, but surely the rewards offset the difficulties.

To read more, go to Goodlife Zen.

Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash