Life Direction Compass (Four Books Integration) — Full Book Capability Entry
Trigger & Non-Trigger
Applicable: Queries and tasks related to this skill domain (see intent column in the routing table below). Not Applicable:
- Declaring a user's sole mission, destiny, or future outcome.
- Psychological/medical diagnosis, treatment, sleep/exercise/medication prescriptions, or assessing third parties using the book's models.
- Professional conclusions for high-stakes legal, financial, medical, etc., decisions; must supplement with verifiable evidence and expert opinion.
- Demanding the user endure abuse, exploitation, or danger in the name of acceptance, contribution, conscience, resilience, or alignment of knowledge and action.
Core Principles (Persistent Quick Reference; answer overview-type questions here)
- Distinguish verifiable facts from interpretations, assumptions, and predictions; do not pass one off as another.
- Awareness only restores choice; practical problems still need handling afterward.
- Direction is calibrated by the user's values, real-world responsibilities, resources, risks, and outcome feedback.
- Prioritize reversible, low-cost next steps with observable indicators; for major irreversible choices, verify conditions first.
- Do not blame the user for failure, illness, victimization, or structural limitations; prioritize safety and the right to withdraw.
- The four books have different theoretical origins; preserve their boundaries and do not fabricate a unified doctrine.
Capability Routing (Read this table first; load 1 capability card per intent)
| User Intent | Read First | Additional / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Disengage from repetitive thinking; pause automatic judgment before major decisions | references/capabilities/observe-thought.md | references/capabilities/audit-thinking.md, references/capabilities/consider-alternative-perspectives.md, references/capabilities/accept-facts-then-act.md |
| Low-risk awareness exercises; body awareness; grounding | references/capabilities/anchor-attention-in-body.md | references/capabilities/observe-emotion.md, references/capabilities/return-attention-to-action.md |
| Emotionally charged pause for decisions; strong emotions; emotion pause | references/capabilities/observe-emotion.md | references/capabilities/accept-facts-then-act.md, references/capabilities/consider-alternative-perspectives.md |
| Judge whether acceptance equals resignation; act after facing reality | references/capabilities/accept-facts-then-act.md | references/capabilities/observe-thought.md, references/capabilities/observe-emotion.md, references/capabilities/clarify-direction-through-experiment.md, references/capabilities/review-and-correct-action.md |
| Understand personal meaning from recurring choices; check behavior vs. stated values | references/capabilities/review-recurring-actions.md | references/capabilities/review-life-domains.md, references/capabilities/audit-thinking.md |
| Examine career direction's impact on other life domains; compare long-term commitments | references/capabilities/review-life-domains.md | references/capabilities/review-choice-needs.md, references/capabilities/clarify-direction-through-experiment.md, references/capabilities/use-contribution-as-lens.md |
| Consider cooperation and social contribution; compare independent vs. collaborative roles | references/capabilities/use-contribution-as-lens.md | references/capabilities/review-life-domains.md, references/capabilities/review-choice-needs.md |
| Recover from discouragement without total self-rejection; find action obstacles | references/capabilities/recover-from-discouragement.md | references/capabilities/clarify-direction-through-experiment.md, references/capabilities/review-and-correct-action.md, references/capabilities/review-recurring-actions.md |
| Check assumptions in life judgments; metacognition; evidence gaps | references/capabilities/audit-thinking.md | references/capabilities/observe-thought.md, references/capabilities/consider-alternative-perspectives.md, references/capabilities/review-recurring-actions.md |
| Action plan feels too hard or too easy; stretch zone; sustained practice | references/capabilities/match-challenge-to-skill.md | references/capabilities/practice-with-feedback.md, references/capabilities/clarify-direction-through-experiment.md, references/capabilities/rest-when-focus-drops.md |
| Learned but cannot apply; output feedback loop; self-test | references/capabilities/practice-with-feedback.md | references/capabilities/match-challenge-to-skill.md, references/capabilities/test-knowledge-through-action.md, references/capabilities/plan-and-review-tasks.md |
| Turn direction into near-term plan; task priority & review | references/capabilities/plan-and-review-tasks.md | references/capabilities/clarify-direction-through-experiment.md, references/capabilities/reduce-parallel-load.md, references/capabilities/practice-with-feedback.md |
| Career/growth direction choice; low-risk experiment; career experiment | references/capabilities/clarify-direction-through-experiment.md | references/capabilities/review-life-domains.md, references/capabilities/match-challenge-to-skill.md, references/capabilities/practice-with-feedback.md, references/capabilities/review-and-correct-action.md, references/capabilities/plan-and-review-tasks.md |
| Distracted during task; attention reset; focus reset | references/capabilities/return-attention-to-action.md | references/capabilities/anchor-attention-in-body.md, references/capabilities/rest-when-focus-drops.md, references/capabilities/audit-thinking.md |
| Too many goals; full schedule; reduce parallel load | references/capabilities/reduce-parallel-load.md | references/capabilities/plan-and-review-tasks.md, references/capabilities/rest-when-focus-drops.md, references/capabilities/match-challenge-to-skill.md |
| Whether to rest when focus drops; recovery scheduling | references/capabilities/rest-when-focus-drops.md | references/capabilities/return-attention-to-action.md, references/capabilities/reduce-parallel-load.md, references/capabilities/match-challenge-to-skill.md |
| Whether knowledge and action are aligned; translate values into behaviors | references/capabilities/test-knowledge-through-action.md | references/capabilities/clarify-direction-through-experiment.md, references/capabilities/review-and-correct-action.md, references/capabilities/practice-with-feedback.md |
| Post-action review and correction; decide to continue, revise, or exit | references/capabilities/review-and-correct-action.md | references/capabilities/clarify-direction-through-experiment.md, references/capabilities/accept-facts-then-act.md, references/capabilities/review-recurring-actions.md |
| Emotion locked by a single explanation; alternative perspectives | references/capabilities/consider-alternative-perspectives.md | references/capabilities/audit-thinking.md, references/capabilities/observe-emotion.md, references/capabilities/review-recurring-actions.md |
| Compare autonomy, competence use, and relatedness needs | references/capabilities/review-choice-needs.md | references/capabilities/review-life-domains.md, references/capabilities/use-contribution-as-lens.md, references/capabilities/clarify-direction-through-experiment.md |
Non-capability queries:
- Book name/author/chapter/overall overview → references/overview.md
- Term explanation → references/glossary.md
- Decision rule quick reference (when source text is not required) → references/cheatsheet.md
- Full intent and keyword index (check this first for intents not covered in this table) → references/capability-index.md
Loading Rules
- For each task, first read this file, then load 1 capability card per the routing table; load a maximum of 2 cards when the task clearly spans multiple domains.
- For overview/book-title queries, do not load capability cards; answer with "Core Principles" and overview.md.
- For intents not matched by the routing table or capability-index.md, clearly state it is outside the scope of this skill and do not force-fit.
Boundaries & Halting
- When there is imminent danger, violence/coercion, self-harm risk, or urgent medical issues, stop the regular direction discussion and prioritize realistic safety and appropriate human support.
- When key constraints or consequences are unknown and potentially irreversible, pause conclusions; first ask and list the information that needs verification.
- When awareness or self-reflection increases pain, shame, or compulsive rumination, stop immediately and switch to realistic support or help-seeking pathways.