About Character Compass™
Journey of Self-Discovery
Character Compass is a tool for self-discovery and alignment. It helps you to uncover your values, deepen your connection with yourself, and navigate life with clarity, courage, and meaning.
I didn’t set out to design a program. I set out to survive.
At the time, I was beginning to transition from personal training into life coaching. Six months earlier, I had been upfront about what I was doing and was told it was okay, not a conflict of interest.
But then I was pulled aside, told the opposite, and forced to choose:
stop what I was doing and stay, or leave entirely.
I asked for 24 hours to consider my response.
That request was denied.
I was told the decision had to be made immediately.
I wasn't willing to stop what I was building.
So, I wrote “stepping down as PT” and printed "Simon" on a scrap of paper, intending to leave from the personal training department and remain as a group fitness instructor and team training coach.
That paper was taken and used as my resignation from every position.
I felt blindsided. How could a company with core values like honesty and integrity displayed on the walls act without integrity?
In that moment, I felt ripped apart.
Two questions remained:
Can I live with this?
Can I stand behind this choice?
For me, the search for direction first found form in art.
It was how I processed what I felt, long before I had words for it.
Studying fine art at Queen’s University was never about career but about my love for creativity itself.
That thread still runs through Character Compass today, and what I discovered over time is that values are not just nice words to frame on a wall.
They are the ground we stand on when everything else falls away.
They are the quiet strength behind hard decisions, the steadying pulse in moments of doubt, the colours of our being when the world feels gray.
Values are not abstract.
They are the living energies we embody through our Essence of Being™, States of Being™, and Ways of Being™.
Values are the compass we carry, but often forget how to use.
Character Compass is a core values compass designed to help people orient their lives around what matters most.
It was born from that season of searching. It became the guide that I needed to see myself clearly, to name what mattered most, and to live with integrity and aliveness again. It helped me understand what drives me, regain my power, and become grounded in who I am. It is your inner compass, expressed in colour and words, designed to bring you back to your own centre so you can walk forward true to yourself.
| Guided by What Matters Most
What I learned in my own searching is something many of us know deep down: it’s easy to move through life without pausing to name our deepest values. We sense them in the background, but don’t always bring them into focus. We long to live from them, yet it isn’t always clear how to honour them.
Values are the heartbeat of how we live. They shape our choices, reveal what drives us, and quietly define who we are becoming. When we don’t name them, life can feel scattered and uncertain. When we do, we begin to reclaim our power and stand grounded in who we are.
This is why Character Compass exists. It creates the pause most of us rarely take. It helps you name what matters most, reconnect with yourself, and reshape how you show up for others and the world. It brings meaning back to the centre of life.
| A Compass for Authentic Living
Our Mission:
To guide people in uncovering and living their values, and to gather these truths into a living map of colour that reveals what matters most and supports embodiment in daily life.
Our Vision:
A world where people live guided by their deepest values.
| Live Your Values
At the heart of Character Compass are values that live in action.
They are the ground beneath our choices,
steady as breath and flowing like water,
living commitments that shape how we live
and guide what we create.
The values below are my own.
They are not offered as a template to adopt, but as an example of what values can look like when they are named, embodied, and lived with care.
This is the kind of relationship to values that Character Compass helps make possible.
Integrity
noun
“I am whole in myself. I move from inner alignment rather than force, allowing my actions to arise naturally from what’s true. I remain intact in the face of challenge by staying present with myself and the moment as it is.”
Compassion
noun
“I connect deeply and lead with care and consideration. I offer my presence without expectation or demand, honouring the heart and humanity of others.”
Curiosity
noun
“I am drawn to what lies beneath the surface. I meet people and ideas with openness and interest, letting truth reveal itself in its own time.”
Longevity
noun
“I choose to live consciously. I care for my energy, my body, and my life with consistency and resilience, by attending to what creates and sustains growth.”
Harmony
noun
“I live and create with great respect for people and the planet. I see our interconnectedness, trust my inner strength, and navigate differences with kindness and understanding.”
Honour
noun
“I live by design, not default, guided by courage, clarity, and conviction. I trust my heart and intuition, meet what is with respect, and act in service of what’s innately good for my authentic self, others, and the planet.”
Simplicity
noun
“I remove what’s not essential. I appreciate the inner essence and beauty in life, and refine how I live so I can move with grace, strength, and ease, staying focused on what truly matters.”
Loyalty
noun
“I am steadfast in my commitment to the truth of my heart and soul. I give fully from my heart, with love, gratitude, and joy, choosing relationship without betraying myself.”
Faith
noun
“I have full and complete trust in the Universe. I surrender. I let go and allow the power of life to unfold and move through me, trusting that my actions are guided and that timing is divine.”
These values are not static.
They are lived, refined, and expressed differently over time.
Character Compass does not give you these values.
It supports you in discovering your own, and in learning how to live them in ways that feel true, grounded, and alive.
This is how values move from words into life.
| From Self to Society
This work begins with the individual and extends into the shared field of humanity.
When values are lived, they naturally influence families, communities, organizations, and culture.
The Wider Work:
| Global Values Revival
A living movement shaped by values in action.
Global Values Revival is what happens when lived values begin to reshape how we relate, create, and care for one another.
As people live from what matters most to them, integrity, care, and meaning naturally ripple outward through families, communities, and culture.
Remembering the soul of the world.
| One Organic Thread
Living Values. Mindfully Made. Weaving Change.
A lifestyle expression of Character Compass, creating consciously made apparel that supports embodiment, personal expression, and values lived in everyday life.
| The Awareness Studio
Come As You Are. Become Who You Are.
A personal wellness companion in development, offering a simple, supportive space for reflection, embodied awareness, and daily practice.
Together, these initiatives carry Character Compass beyond the individual, extending its impact into culture, lifestyle, and daily practice. Each one contributes to a movement shaping how values are lived and shared.
| A Life Shaped by Values
To live a life shaped by values is to move beyond routine. It is to weave conscious choices into the fabric of daily life. Over 15 years of guiding others has shown me that integrity, discipline, and service build resilience into every step, far beyond physical training alone. My progression from art into wellness reflects creativity and growth, reminding me that who we become is shaped by how we live, each day.
A life shaped by values is lived in the ordinary moments. It is presence in how we move, compassion in how we meet others, and strength of heart in how we face challenges. These simple choices become roots that hold our ground, turning routines into a meaningful way of living.
I've learned through lived experience that the values I live by are held together by something quieter beneath them: a commitment to moving without urgency, listening deeply, and allowing life to unfold at its own pace.
I'm Simon Asmus, founder of Character Compass. My path from art into fitness, coaching, and integrative practice reflects a lifelong commitment to growth, integrity, and living by values.
| Begin Your Journey
Every life is shaped by values.
Character Compass begins by helping you discover the colours and words that express yours.
As values come into focus, your actions begin to reflect who you truly are.
This is how life starts to feel more clear, authentic, and purposeful.
When you create your Compass, you also contribute to the Map of What Matters, a living map that grows with the values people hold most deeply across the world. As more people participate, the map reveals the shared values that unite us on the common ground of humanity.