Guilt is a tool or mechanism that a well-working conscience uses to communicate to the heart. When we don’t live up to our values, our hearts are pricked with guilt, shame and regret. But we’re not supposed to stay there, letting the guilt settle in and take up residency. It’s a warning signal in the dark of our choices that sends the message to course correct.

Does your moral compass point true north? Or is it a little askew? And how would you know? There are, of course, people now and through history who thought they were doing right when everyone else knew otherwise. So how do you know where your moral compass is pointing?

There is so much emotional dust and negativity and other bits of self-defeating debris floating around in the atmosphere of our daily lives. Too many people are ill-equipped to recognize the dust and debris for what it is. They are therefore unable to remove it, block it or filter it from intake. While we have filters for just about everything: fish tanks, washing machines, cars, TVs, and cameras, do we have filters that effectively block our lower impulses and external influences that undermine potential, dignity and happiness?

If you’re a blogger, you know a dashboard is more than the place you instinctively glance to check your speed when you pass a police car. A blog’s dashboard is where much of the behind-the-scenes work of a site happens, allowing us to individualize the appearance and functionality of our blogs. But these same characteristics can also be found in our own lives as well. What’s on the dashboard of your life?

Are you burdened by an acute sense of happiness-clobbering guilt? Does the pain of shame rear its ugly head just about every time you start feeling okay about yourself? A conscience should keep us living well and treating others kindly.