I rang in the new year watching the ball drop at Bayfront Park in Miami [1]. I watched the fireworks light up the sky and watched all the boats sitting in the bay. We were all enjoying the spectacle of the New Year, of new beginnings, the inspiration to be a new you.

Looking at the boats on the water got me thinking about the willingness of the sailors of old to set off into the adventure. Knowing there would be obstacles, but also having confidence in their ability to navigate the unknowns and stay pointed in the right direction. And that brings us to the Ball Drop.

I came across this video of Neil deGrasse Tyson explaining why we have the ball drop on New Years Eve, which helped me contextualize the obstacles we have when setting sail on new endeavors (big or small).

In the old days of ship sailing, sailors could determine their latitude at sea by the position of the North Star. But following the North Star alone isn’t enough. For sailors, knowing where they were and where they were headed also requires them to know their longitude. This was a much more difficult task because there is no simple way to do it. However, the sailors found a way, using the universal order found in the position of the stars. The catch is that you need to know what time it is, and very precisely. So the ports implemented a ball drop system so sailors could accurately synchronize the clocks on their ships with the clocks at port by watching when the ball dropped.

New York City thought it would be fun to appropriate the ball drop from the ports and put a ball in Times Square to signal the new year. And, a tradition was born.

With the coming of the new year I’m sure your life goals have come into focus, since when the ball drops is the time to take stock of where you are and where you want to be. To find your bearings and set your sights.

The truly hard part is creating a support system to guide you toward that goal. It’s easy to say “I want X” but finding your way to “X” is complicated. And the simplest system of following the North Star isn’t enough. You need a system, a framework that leads to success, something that can ground you when life throws you off course.

The framework I use is analogous to the old sailors. In order to achieve my goals there are things I know for certain that I need to do. Collectively, these are my North Star. Then there are all the other things that need to happen that I currently don’t know, because I lack the required perspective. This is equivalent to knowing my longitude. The way to get your bearings is to get the perspective of all the great people out there who have traveled their own path. These are the ball droppers.

Very few things in life go according to plan and that’s where your framework, your system has your back. You may end up moving in a slightly different direction than when you headed off and that's ok, you can course correct along the way. Head toward your North Star and rely on your ball droppers. You may drift off course, but all you need to do is to take a breath, reset your compass, and head out again.