The True North Life Audit
Score the present honestly, then set a near-term direction
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 95%
Assaraf frames current circumstances as effects produced by earlier thoughts, strategies, environments, beliefs, and habits. Rather than spending energy denying or defending those effects, he proposes a True North audit. Score the areas that matter—such as spiritual, emotional, mental, physical, relationship, career, business, and financial wellbeing—from zero to ten. The score functions like an X-ray: it shows the current condition without defining the person's future. Next, choose where each priority area should be in six months. If that horizon feels too distant, reduce it to three months or one month and identify a few changes that commitment could make possible. The framework creates an honest baseline, a chosen direction, and a manageable timeframe for leaving an unwanted track.
Origin
Extracted from Coffeez for Closers
Core principles
- 01Present results are effects of earlier patterns and choices
- 02An honest score is diagnostic rather than a verdict on identity
- 03Direction matters more than defending the current track
- 04A shorter planning horizon is valid when six months feels inaccessible
How to run it
- 1
Choose the domains
List the areas of life whose condition and direction genuinely matter to you.
Pro tip Use Assaraf's domains as prompts, not mandatory categories.
- 2
Score the present
Give each domain an honest zero-to-ten score based on its current condition.
Pro tip Write the evidence behind each score in one sentence.
Watch out Do not inflate the score to avoid discomfort.
- 3
Separate condition from identity
Treat the scores as effects and diagnostic information, not proof that change is impossible.
Watch out Do not turn a low score into a permanent self-description.
- 4
Set the near-term direction
Define where you would like the priority areas to be six months from now.
Pro tip Shorten the horizon if six months creates too much uncertainty.
- 5
Choose the correction
Identify the first changes in strategy, environment, beliefs, or habits that would move the score.
Pro tip Start with the domain where a small change creates meaningful leverage.
In the wild
A person scores physical wellbeing at four and career wellbeing at seven. Rather than redesigning every life area, they choose a one-month physical target and commit to a daily walk, a revised food plan, and a weekly review.
→ The audit turns general frustration into one bounded course correction.
Common mistakes
Being afraid of the score
Avoiding an honest baseline removes the information needed to change direction.
Auditing without redirecting
The score only becomes useful when it leads to a chosen future state and a course correction.
Is it for you?
Best for
People who feel stuck or misaligned but have not defined which part of life needs attention first.
Not ideal for
Clinical assessment or crisis diagnosis that requires a qualified professional.
From the transcript
“stop long enough to be truthful with yourself and and do a true north”
“where am I really on a scale of 1 to 10”
“where would I like to be in six months just six months”
From the episode
Unlocking Potential ft. John Assaraf
John Assaraf