I remember watching Moana again in 2020.

Following a princess of a Polynesian island, the sea chooses to return a valuable stone stolen from one of their goddesses.

Without going into too many spoilers — if you haven’t watched it — Moana has to defy her parent’s wishes to become the next chief and goes into the sea as a voyager.

As Moana embarks on this journey, she faces one big problem: she’s never sailed before and is not experienced in navigating the sea.

She gets caught in a typhoon and gets shipwrecked.

And though she does learn to sail and navigate the waters (with the help of Maui), I couldn’t help but wonder,

“What if she didn’t shipwreck on the island that Maui was on? Where would she have ended up?”

“She’d be lost at sea”

This brought on another question.

How did sailors navigate and find their way before compasses and other navigation tools?

What can we learn from sailors so we don’t get lost in the Sea of Life or shipwreck on an island we don’t want to be on?

That’s what we’re discussing in this week’s newsletter.

The Vast Sea of Life

In the modern day, it’s nearly impossible to get physically lost—unless your phone dies or your network connection is bad.

If you are ever lost or confused, all you have to do is open a GPS app, and boom, you'll be found.

But being emotionally and mentally lost?

That’s a little harder to navigate.

Feeling lost and confused about your life is unsettling.

It drains your energy, scatters your focus, and leaves you overwhelmed.

You want direction, but everything feels foggy.

This is how I felt when I had finished my undergraduate and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life.

The feelings of confusion overwhelmed me and I spent my days numbing the feelings as much as I could.

And with so much free time in 2022, that’s when I stumbled on Moana again and from sailors learned to navigate out of being lost.

Look Up At The Stars

Imagine being on a ship in the middle of the ocean without a compass, a map, or any sense of direction. The waves toss you around. The stars are hidden by clouds.

You feel small, vulnerable, and adrift.

But no, not these ancient sailors, voyageurs or travellers.

How did they do it?

Keep in mind that before the invention of the compass in the 11th or 12th century during the Han Dynasty, sailors had very few methods of navigating the seas.

Out in the far oceans, they didn’t have maps or Siri.

So they used what they had above them: the stars and the sky.

Come hell or high water — which happened a lot — they watched the constellations to mark their position and stay on route.

They used the stars to guide them and the ship’s navigator had one single task:

Keep track of where the ship has been, where it’s going and plan where it’s going next.

An art and a science.

By knowing where they were and where they were going, they were never lost.

They didn’t let the waves decide their fate. They charted their path using the stars.

They found their clarity.

Their North Star.

Now picture your life as this big vast ocean that you don’t have a map or compass to navigate.

How would you feel?

Lost? Confused? Overwhelmed?

When you’re lost, every decision feels heavier.

Every task takes longer.

Life becomes reactive, not proactive.

When you feel lost or confused, it shows up in how you present yourself, how you talk, how you feel about yourself and how other people feel about you.

It has a very strong presence that creates a grey cloud hanging over your life.

It permeates every area of your life:

• You’re overwhelmed by your daily to-do list, unsure which tasks really matter.

• You jump from one thing to another, hoping something will “click.”

• You’re working hard but feel no satisfaction—just emptiness.

• You’re chasing goals that don’t feel like yours but society’s.

The root cause?

You lack clarity.

It’s not that you’re lazy or unfocused; you simply don’t have a clear picture of where you want to go.

So if you want to be able to navigate the waters like ancient sailors, you need to look up at the sky above you.

You need to get clear, you need to find your North Star.

How To Use The Stars

The ancient sailors' most powerful tool was their stars. Especially the North Star (or South, depending on which hemisphere they were in).

This star never wavered, offering a constant point of reference. Even in stormy oceans or under cloudy skies, it remained their guide.

In life, your "North Star" is your vision—your clear, detailed picture of where you want to go.

Having a vision is being able to answer the question, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

Most people don’t always have an answer to this, because they’ve never let themselves think about it.

Having a vision is getting onto a ship with a vivid picture of where you want to get to.

And a clear vision, you can enter the coordinates into a GPS that will get you where you want it to be.

You need to have a vision in mind.

An image of what you want in the future.

Having a vision changes everything.

1. It Gives You Direction

   Without a destination, every path looks the same. Clarity of vision helps you prioritise what matters and ignore distractions.

2. It Fuels Your Motivation

   A clear vision pulls you forward, even when the journey gets tough. It’s not just about discipline; it’s about being excited for what’s ahead.

3. It Simplifies Decision-Making

   Choices become easier when you know your destination. You say “yes” to what aligns and “no” to what doesn’t.

4. It Helps You Stay Resilient

   Life’s storms are inevitable. But with a North Star, you’ll always recalibrate and find your way back.

When you create clarity, you’re no longer lost at sea. You’re the captain of your ship, steering confidently toward a destination.

Finding Your North Star

Here’s how to find your North Star and chart a course for your life:

1. Do a life audit.

   Reflect on where you are and where you want to go. Ask yourself:

   • What do I value most?

   • Am I doing work that fulfils me?

   • What kind of life do I want to live?

2. Dream big.

   Let yourself be a kid. Remove any restrictions of being realistic. Let yourself imagine what life could be. Stop playing small and let your wildest dreams flow.

   Permit yourself to imagine the life you truly desire.

   Write down your wildest dreams without judgment or limitation.

3. Create your vision.

   Craft a clear picture of what this life looks like for you.

   Your vision should answer:

   • Who do I want to be?

   • What do I want to achieve?

   • How do I want to feel?

4. Stay flexible.

   Like a sailor adjusts their sails to changing winds, be open to refining your vision over time.

   Your vision will evolve as you get clearer.

5. Let your vision be your North Star.

   When you have a clear destination, every decision becomes easier.

   You’ll know what to say yes to—and more importantly, what to say no to.

Key Takeaways

• Feeling lost stems from a lack of clarity.

• Clarity allows you to take intentional action and achieve meaningful results.

• Your vision is your North Star—a guiding light that keeps you on course even in turbulent times.

• Start with small steps: reflect, dream, and write down your vision.

When you take the time to gain clarity, you stop drifting and start living with purpose.

And that’s it.

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I’ll see you in the next one.

— Shana