Hello Reader,

Today I want to share something personal with you rather than the usual how-to. I hope that is okay.

I am a multi-passionate person and have always struggled to choose ONE direction in life to follow. Yet, I understand how powerful it can be when you do choose a single direction.

Back in my teenage years, I only made it to university because that became the single focus of an entire year. There was nothing else in my life except studying for the entrance exam.

No parties, no friends, nothing.

For context: the best universities in Brazil are either free (the public ones) or extremely expensive (the good private ones). My family (or I) didn’t have the money to send me to a good private university, so I had to pass the exam for a public one.

To make things even more challenging (or motivating, depending on how you see it), the common belief is that students from public high schools can only get into a public university either by studying for three years or by taking a preparatory course.

I had neither the time nor the money for a preparatory course. So, I was on my own.

Long story short, I dedicated my final year of high school to studying as much as I possibly could—way too much, if you ask me (14 to 16 hours a day, including weekends, seems absurd to me now). My goal was to either confirm the common belief or prove it wrong.

Thankfully, I proved it wrong 😊.

I was accepted to all three public universities I applied to, and I even ranked 1st in Informatics at an expensive private university (though they didn’t offer me a scholarship 😕).

It was not “about me”, though. A childhood friend, who went through the same schools, under the same conditions, also passed the exam for a public university.

What made it possible was having a single purpose (and putting effort into it).

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Fast forward to adulthood: it was not hard for me to buy the idea of a "North Star".

I knew from experience that having a single purpose can increase your odds of success. But then the questions started:

What is the ONE profession I want to follow?

What is the ONE topic I want to dedicate the next 4+ years of my life to researching?

What is the ONE direction I want to pursue in life?

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I felt like these questions were forcing me into a box.

It wasn’t about "creating a profession" that suited me, but choosing one that already existed (from a list).

It wasn’t about "creating a research topic", but picking one that was already out there.

It wasn’t about "shaping my life’s direction", but wandering around until I found one that fit.

It wasn't about me, but about choosing a box to fit in.

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Well, that’s all nonsense*.

If you have lived a little, you know career paths are not linear, research topics emerge as you research, and life's purpose is created by living your best life, not "found" somewhere.

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You don’t find your purpose, you create it.

Purpose is about you — your interests, skills, and the path that brings you joy naturally, not forced.

Finding your purpose is not about searching for something out there. It is about learning more about yourself, having a way to express your likes, wants, and needs, and intentionally pursuing what makes you feel like YOU.

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So that’s why I came up with the idea of the Southern Cross Constellation (rather than a North Star).

The Southern Cross brings together your multiple interests into a single topic. I developed it as a way to explore my own interests and turn them into projects I want to pursue — and that I can easily communicate to others.

It helped me create research topics when working in academia, including my first-ever grant proposal (in my name), which funded a year of research and even got featured on TV 😉

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I used to teach the Southern Cross method in live workshops, but I have recently turned it into a self-paced guided exercise​
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I have done this exercise at some of the workshops I led, right alongside the participants. My goal was to have the same experience as everyone attending.

The first time, I did it on paper:

Later, I used Scrintal.

Now that it is a guided exercise, I have gone through it again to understand what you would experience.

At the end, I combined all my exercises into a single map.

Finally, my Southern Cross is “Converting Experiential Knowledge into Knowledge in Action via the Formalisation of Meaning Making”.

Do you know of a 3 word name for it? 🙃

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Personal Knowledge Management.

In other people’s words, that is the name for my Southern Cross. Maybe I can call it my North Star now?

To me, PKM acquires a particular meaning — that you may catch in my map. It is not about collecting and highlighting sources. It is about understanding and expressing experiential knowledge (also called “tacit knowledge”) and actively engaging with others (directly or through our sources).

It is also not about creating notes because it feels productive. It is about turning knowledge into action and acquiring knowledge from action (rather than mindless failing until things magically work).

PKM is a practice of self-discovery. It is a way to create a mirror for our thoughts, so we can critically look at them (literally!).

This is what PKM means to me, and it is what I aim to keep bringing to you through the Playbook, my products, and my services.

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I hope you have enjoyed the Self-Guided Exercise If you haven't taken time for it yet, why not start today? Start the Guided Exercise

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Now, I need your help.

There are so many topics I could cover in the Playbook next:

• A research roadmap for non-academics
• Self-driven, input-driven, and output-driven PKM
• Anything related to PKM and research

What would YOU like to read about? Let me know your biggest question or struggle, or choose a topic from the list above. I would love to hear from you!

Reply to this email and let me know 😊.

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Talk to you soon.

Until then, take care.

Bianca

* Funny enough, the lists of professions, research topics, and life directions were always provided by people who stood to benefit financially: universities, supervisors, coaches, consultants, and “thought leaders”. Someone owned the box they wanted me to fit in. It was never about me. It was always about them.

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