Part of the “Young Generation’s Guide to Creating What Truly Matters” blog series
In an era where youth anxiety is at an all-time high, young generation empowerment isn’t just a goal — it’s a necessity. When we empower our youth to create meaningful change, we unlock not only their potential but also the key to a better collective future. This journey begins with a simple yet profound question: What truly matters?
There’s a special clarity that emerges when we stand at the crossroads of challenge and change. In my own journey through several teardowns and rebuilds in life, I’ve discovered that these moments often bring us face-to-face with what truly matters.
This is the second blog in the series titled “Young Generation’s Guide to Creating What Truly Matters”, which addresses young people’s concerns about their future while offering practical guidance for transformation. Each blog in the series in intended to create a framework of understanding to inspire a shift in perspective and empower young people to create meaningful change and rewrite their own story.
Breaking Free from Anxiety: A Young Generation’s Journey
In the quiet moments between our busy activities, a question often whispers to us: “What truly matters to me?” Yet, how often do we create space to listen deeply to the answer?
The young generations today are asking profound questions about meaning and purpose. They’re questioning inherited definitions of success and fulfillment. This questioning isn’t a sign of weakness — it’s an invitation to move beyond the Paradigm of Scarcity that has dominated much of our collective thinking.
What is this Paradigm of Scarcity? It’s an unconscious belief that there isn’t enough to go around — not enough resources, opportunities, or wellbeing for everyone. It’s the mindset that pushes us to compete rather than collaborate, to accumulate rather than share, to fear rather than trust. Many young people today are intuitively rejecting this paradigm, sensing there must be another way to live.
Finding Your Authentic Core Values
When I was much younger, I thought I knew exactly what mattered — career success, financial security, recognition, family, etc. It took several major life transitions for me to realize I was pursuing what I thought should matter rather than what truly resonated with my deepest self.
This journey to discover what genuinely matters is what I call “the Quest.” It’s the journey we’re all on, whether or not we recognize it — a journey to explore the full range of human experience and discover who we truly are beneath the layers of conditioning and expectation.
For young people feeling anxious about the future, clarifying what truly matters becomes not just helpful but essential. When we’re clear about our core values and desires, we have a compass to navigate even the most challenging circumstances.
Natural Tools for Discovering Your Meaningful Goals
Life is indeed like a massive jigsaw puzzle but without the box-top, so we do not know what the finished puzzle looks like. How do we put this puzzle together? The answer is both simpler and more profound than most people realize — we already possess everything we need to assemble pieces of the puzzle:
- Your mind — gives you the incredible capacity to observe, question, discern, and create;
- Your emotions and feelings — they are your internal guidance system that signals what resonates with your authentic self;
- Your physical senses — they allow you to perceive and experience the world around you.
These aren’t just abstract concepts. They’re practical tools for gaining clarity about what matters most to you in each facet of life.
Here’s a simple visualization exercise. Take a moment to close your eyes and imagine your ideal day five years from now. Don’t rush. Notice where you are, who you’re with, and what you’re doing. Pay attention not just to the external details, but to how you feel in this vision.
What brings you a sense of purpose?
What gives you joy?
What makes you feel connected and alive?
This simple visualization exercise often reveals more about what truly matters to you than hours of intellectual analysis.
Creating Collective Wellbeing: Beyond Individual Desires
What’s fascinating about today’s young generations is how many naturally extend their concern beyond personal wellbeing to include their loved ones, communities, and the planet itself.
I’m often moved by the depth and breadth of their vision. They speak of communities where everyone has their basic needs met, relationships built on mutual respect and care, economies that serve humans so they can flourish rather than the other way around, and a sustainable relationship with our planet.
These desires aren’t naive or unrealistic — they’re expressions of what truly matters at the deepest level of our shared humanity.
Anchoring in Your Core Values During Uncertain Times
One of the most powerful aspects of clarifying what truly matters is that it provides stability in unstable times. When external circumstances shift dramatically, our inner knowing of what matters most can be the foundation that keeps us steady.
This isn’t about rigid attachment to specific outcomes. Rather, it’s about connecting with the core values and qualities that give our lives meaning — qualities like connection, contribution, creativity, growth, love, character, and purpose.
In times of great uncertainty, it’s helpful to return to these core values. Ask yourself:
- How can I express these values even in challenging circumstances?
- How can I create experiences aligned with what truly matters to me, regardless of external limitations?
Your Journey Forward: Reflective Questions
- If all external pressures and expectations are removed, what would you choose to do with your life? What brings you genuine joy and fulfillment?
- Think about a time when you felt most alive and aligned with your authentic self. What elements were present in that experience that might reveal what truly matters to you?
- What do you hope for those you love? What kind of world do you wish to help create? How might these desires reflect your deepest values?
- If you could design your ideal day five years from now, what would it include? Pay attention not just to activities but to how you would feel throughout this day.
- What beliefs about “what matters” have you inherited from family, culture, and society?
- Which of these align with your authentic self, and which might benefit from reconsideration?
If you like to share your thoughts or ask questions, I invite you to contact us: https://newcompasspoint.com/connect/.
In our next post, we’ll explore how to awaken to the power within you to create the life you desire — moving from clarity about what matters to conscious action toward creating those experiences. Remember, the journey of discovering what truly matters isn’t a onetime event but an ongoing exploration as we grow and evolve.
Links
Our website: https://newcompasspoint.com
Previous blog in this series: https://newcompasspoint.com/understanding-crisis-listening-young-people/
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