Hi everyone: It has been a while since my last article, but it is one of my resolutions this year to be posting here much more often, so stay tuned! In my family, the turning of the New Year is a time of reflection in which we devote some energy to thinking about the triumphs, challenges and events of the year that have been, and excitedly turn our eyes towards the new one and all its many possibilities.
New Year’s is one moment in our North American culture where many of us will pause, however briefly, to consider our life’s direction and “check our bearings” before entering the current of the year that is “down river”. In doing so, we steady our own internal Life Compass as we take stock of where we are standing now and dream of where ideally we wish to be standing next.
Throughout history, adventurers and explorers the world over looked to many important instruments to help them safely find their way. Since the compass became popular as a tool for navigation in the eleventh century, human beings have trusted the persistent path-finding of its tiny needle to help align them with their intended destinations.
Sometimes however they encountered misadventures, unexpected challenges and setbacks that left them confused, turned around or sometimes feeling more than a little lost.
With challenges behind them, there always came a time of reckoning when they turned to their compasses, to regain their sense of direction and to plot a new course for the next leg of their journeys.
A few years ago my colleague Jonathan sat down at the drawing board and designed the Life Compass Program to help young adults to do just that. The inspiration for its creation was to craft an exhilarating experience for young adults to step aside from life for a while and to immerse themselves in the currents of a transformative adventure.
Life Compass is grounded in many bodies of work including Master Storyteller Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey model. It has been designed for young adults 18-29 who consider themselves to be standing at one of Life’s confounding crossroads or transitions.
Whether it is a transition with: school, career, a relationship, or some other compelling life situation, Life Compass Program is the ultimate “Pattern Interrupt”. It’s about “shaking things up”; excavating people’s possibilities and then supporting them as they find their feet again.
At the very heart of the Leaders of the Day Challenge {“Seek the courage to step outside the familiar; the boldness to experience new frontiers within yourself and to consistently pursue greater personal excellence.”} is the very D.N.A. of the Heroic Journey and that all-important willingness to cross powerful thresholds in our lives.
The students of our Life Compass Program give themselves the gift of 28 incredible days to re-invent themselves daily as they are invited to boldly step out of their everyday circumstances and into the heart of an unforgettable whitewater adventure - together.
The exciting and dynamic settings offered by whitewater environments present powerful metaphors for Life’s ever-changing variables. Life is always moving and never truly the same as it was a moment before. We can fight the current, go with the flow, or “eddy out” and walk!
This high-octane, transformative experience immerses participants in the world of whitewater paddling. Some of the powerful elements of this program include: experiencing the high adventure of whitewater rescue training; becoming certified as a Level 1 Raft Guide while running the world class Ottawa River; hurtling down-river on an eye-opening whitewater canoe expedition with new found confidence; and then slowing it all down as you immerse yourself in our Wilderness Solo experience.....you get the picture.
Both Jonathan and I have had the great opportunity to have lived and worked all over the world during our careers. When at last we came together to envision and imagine Leaders of the Day as an organization, we agreed that what fed both of our passions most was the theme of transformative experience. In essence it is the power of a special moment or many such moments which conspire to fundamentally change how we think about ourselves, our capabilities and the very world around us.
Whether people come to us for a unique training opportunity, to kindle the flame of leadership, to taste success and challenge, or simply to embark on a remarkable journey, each helps to re-align the needle of Life’s Compass.
For more about our Life Compass Program click here.
Blog post written by Tony Cox: Co-Founder & Director - Leaders of the Day
New Year’s is one moment in our North American culture where many of us will pause, however briefly, to consider our life’s direction and “check our bearings” before entering the current of the year that is “down river”. In doing so, we steady our own internal Life Compass as we take stock of where we are standing now and dream of where ideally we wish to be standing next.
Throughout history, adventurers and explorers the world over looked to many important instruments to help them safely find their way. Since the compass became popular as a tool for navigation in the eleventh century, human beings have trusted the persistent path-finding of its tiny needle to help align them with their intended destinations.
Sometimes however they encountered misadventures, unexpected challenges and setbacks that left them confused, turned around or sometimes feeling more than a little lost.
With challenges behind them, there always came a time of reckoning when they turned to their compasses, to regain their sense of direction and to plot a new course for the next leg of their journeys.
A few years ago my colleague Jonathan sat down at the drawing board and designed the Life Compass Program to help young adults to do just that. The inspiration for its creation was to craft an exhilarating experience for young adults to step aside from life for a while and to immerse themselves in the currents of a transformative adventure.Life Compass is grounded in many bodies of work including Master Storyteller Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey model. It has been designed for young adults 18-29 who consider themselves to be standing at one of Life’s confounding crossroads or transitions.
Whether it is a transition with: school, career, a relationship, or some other compelling life situation, Life Compass Program is the ultimate “Pattern Interrupt”. It’s about “shaking things up”; excavating people’s possibilities and then supporting them as they find their feet again.
At the very heart of the Leaders of the Day Challenge {“Seek the courage to step outside the familiar; the boldness to experience new frontiers within yourself and to consistently pursue greater personal excellence.”} is the very D.N.A. of the Heroic Journey and that all-important willingness to cross powerful thresholds in our lives.
The students of our Life Compass Program give themselves the gift of 28 incredible days to re-invent themselves daily as they are invited to boldly step out of their everyday circumstances and into the heart of an unforgettable whitewater adventure - together.
The exciting and dynamic settings offered by whitewater environments present powerful metaphors for Life’s ever-changing variables. Life is always moving and never truly the same as it was a moment before. We can fight the current, go with the flow, or “eddy out” and walk!
Both Jonathan and I have had the great opportunity to have lived and worked all over the world during our careers. When at last we came together to envision and imagine Leaders of the Day as an organization, we agreed that what fed both of our passions most was the theme of transformative experience. In essence it is the power of a special moment or many such moments which conspire to fundamentally change how we think about ourselves, our capabilities and the very world around us.
Whether people come to us for a unique training opportunity, to kindle the flame of leadership, to taste success and challenge, or simply to embark on a remarkable journey, each helps to re-align the needle of Life’s Compass.
For more about our Life Compass Program click here.
Blog post written by Tony Cox: Co-Founder & Director - Leaders of the Day
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