Do you know what your WHY is? Why is it important?
“What is your WHY?” is a question I have been asked and considered numerous times on my journey to become an entrepreneur and run my own coaching and network marketing businesses. I thought I was pretty clear about my WHY. I want to have freedom to work when,where and how I please. I Just recently I completed an online Social Media Course and the very first question was ‘What is your WHY?” So as a good student I revisited my WHY and dug a little deeper into my WHY. I now realise that in addition to freedom, it is also important to me to make a difference to people's lives, just as I am currently doing in my other employment.
So what is your WHY and why is everyone talking about it?
Well put simply, your WHY is your reason for doing what you do, or your purpose. It is important because it provides you with the motivation to do what you do. Having a strong why is possibly more important for business owners who have to be self-motivated in order to succeed. But it is also important for everybody to have a sense of purpose and clarity around what they are doing. Whether you are an entrepreneur, an employee, a team leader or someone looking for work, understanding your WHY will help you to understand what makes you feel fulfilled and drives your behaviour> It will help you make choices that will guide you towards achieving fulfillment in your life and work.
How can you find your WHY?
1. One way to do this is to go back to the past and revisit old stories, old passions or interests. These could be things you abandoned perhaps to follow another direction or perhaps they didn’t seem practical at the time. Then dig deeper and ask yourself lots of questions about why these thing interested you.
2. Ask yourself these questions
What makes you come alive? What are you passionate about?
What are your strengths?
Where do you add the greatest value?
What are you looking for?
What do you want to achieve?
How would you like to be remembered? How will you measure your life?
Writing a journal is a great way to work through these questions. Just write down everything that comes up, don’t censor it or analyse it in any way. Just write down your thoughts as they arise. It is possible that something obvious will emerge from this process but if not, just sit with it for a few days. Revisit your writing from time to time and maybe read it before you go to sleep.
When you find your WHY you will have clarity to move forward and work out the next stages WHAT and HOW.
It is not always as simple as it sounds to discover you WHY. If you need help with this coaching might be a good way to get the clarity you are looking for. Contact me here.