Navigators vs. Drifters

It’s simple, really.  Everyone falls into one of the two categories below.  Read on, identify which one you are, decide if you want to be a Navigator or a Drifter.

NAVIGATORS make up a small percentage of the human population. They are individuals, quite simply, who take active control of their life. They plan a course, they build a ship, they make the essential preparations for their trip and they ACTIVELY navigate their course as it happens.  Navigators identify obstacles, make necessary adjustments and continue on their journey. They have a destination and steer towards it.  A Navigator possesses true cognizant awareness and strives to make choices that propel them towards their overall objective. They are proactive, but are adaptable when the unforeseen alters their plans, and they have the ability to re-evaluate and make the necessary modifications to meet a changing environment.  They are resilient and thoughtful, constantly moving towards an end goal to which they will arrive!

In practical terms, Navigators set career or life goals, research what is needed to attain them and put a plan in place to reach them.  If they need a specific certification or degree, they find a way to get it.  Navigators build a network of key individuals, read industry magazines and stay abreast of  industry trends.  They work on self improvement and foster strategic relationships, recognizing who is willing to help and who is going to hinder their progress.  But most importantly, they are AWARE of all that is transpiring on their quest and use that knowledge to move towards success.

Think about your own situation for a moment.  Have you ever specifically defined your goals?  Have you taken the time to write down a master plan for acquiring them?  Do you recognize who your allies and foes are?  Are they strategically placed?  Do you need to acquire different supporters or make friends of non-supporters?  If so, why or why not?Have you written down short and long term objectives to reach your ultimate goals and thoroughly analyzed them?  Have you set firm timelines to accomplish these objectives?  You need to have this level of purposeful awareness to take complete control of your journey.  True Navigators  scrutinize every detail and leaves nothing up to chance.

DRIFTERS are the polar opposites of Navigators.  They build no ships and have no real plans.  They may dream of a destination, but never take the necessary, consistent steps to move towards it.  They are not cognizant individuals.  The average Drifter sets out for a destination, but is reactive to life and allows themselves to be pushed off their course. They will halfheartedly attempt to steer back towards their destination but lose their fortitude and desire the more distant they get from it.  Ultimately, Drifters settle and remain wherever they have been pushed by the external forces of life.  Eventually, they simply rest on a rubber tube in still waters, making no attempt to move towards something better and spend their time stagnant and without growth. Drifters tend to become dissatisfied, inactive participants in the journey known as their life.

In practice, a Drifter may know they need a degree or certificate to attain their goal, and they may download an application and inquire about financial aid – but they never submit that application or seek out the financial sources to pay for their schooling. They never set up a defined, purposeful plan to follow through and attain what is needed to move forward.  They make excuses and push it off until “the time or money is right.”  Drifters do not build strategic relationships and they probably aren’t even aware of the need for them; and when they are faced with obstacles they tend to give up easily.  At best, they manage to give themselves the illusion that someday they are still going to go after and attain that goal.  At worst, the grow bitter and defeated and become consumed with negativity.

Please take some time to honestly examine which category best defines your recent behavior.  Have you been a Navigator or a Drifter? Neither are permanent; and most of us probably bounce between the two at different points in our lives because we lose awareness and focus.  At times we choose to be Navigators, and at times we allow ourselves to become Drifters.  Our actions alone define us: being a Navigator is purposeful and we become Drifters by default.  So be thoughtful, be purposeful and, above all else, be consistent!