Cover of Finding your own North Star

Finding your own North Star

by Martha Nibley Beck · first published 2001

3mentions
2recommended by
3HN commenters
2011–2025first – last mentioned

67% recommend33% neutral

"The North Star -- Stella Polaris -- is a fixed point that can always be used to figure out which way you're headed. Explorers and mariners can depend on Polaris when there are no other landmarks in sight. The same relationship exists between you and your right life, the ultimate realization of your potential for happiness. I believe that a knowledge of that perfect life sits inside you just as the North Star sits in its unaltering spot. You may think you're utterly lost, but brush away the leaves, wait for the clouds to clear, and you'll see your destiny shining as brightly as ever; the fixed

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What Hacker News says

  • jlengrand · May 12, 2020 · Recommends

    Ok, without wanting to sound like a crazy guy, this book has really had a large impact on me : https://www.amazon.fr/Finding-Your-Own-North-Star-ebook/dp/B... It's basically a method that helps you find what exactly get you on, what you get energy from, and how to reach it. Of course it requires a lot of introspection but the book helps you…

    on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗
  • cloud_dev · Oct 1, 2011 · Recommends

    …care much about the employee, especially when it comes to operational load and on-call rotation. In order to make the best decision, one must try to understand oneself. I've been reading a book called "Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant To Live", which has been quite helpful in this regard. There are some career coaches that seem to be very effective for some people as well.

    on “Ask HN: any light after quitting career at big software companies?” ↗
  • markus_zhang · Dec 23, 2025 · Mentions

    There were references of "North star" as a personal/business objective/guide before 2015. I Googled the term "My north star" and there were a book "Finding Your Own North Star" published in 2001. So it was definitely something back in 2015. There was another book published in 1997: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66140.Finding_Your_Own_N... but I think it is the same book…

    on “Microspeak: North Star – The Old New Thing (2015)” ↗

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