Earlier this year I started to ask myself some crucial questions.
I was plateauing in a few areas and needed some inspiration. I needed to know why this was occurring and what I could do about it.
I started wondering what was causing my seeming lack of interest and enthusiasm in a few key areas of my life. I bet my bottom dollar that you have some areas of your life where you’re plateauing too.
For me, it was my work, my family, my health, and my spiritual life.
Now, whilst there were no serious issues that would cause any major concern, there was a lack of interest that if not addressed, would potentially cause some significant issues down the track.
I started off writing down a list of all the things I was doing wrong and needed improvement in.
This was my first approach and it was overwhelming. There were many things I needed to change and for the most part, I didn’t know where to start. After a while, I started to change my approach. I started to think, what’s your Why?
What’s Your Why?
Generally, as adults, we aren’t as inquisitive as we were when we were younger. In my house, my children are forever asking me ‘but why dad?’ When we transition to an adult, somehow we lose that questioning mindset. Maybe it’s because;
- We’re told from a young age, ‘it’s just how it is’, or
- Not asking ourselves the hard questions, is, by its nature, easier, or
- We’re somehow afraid of the answers.
In any case, I personally believe that we need to re-ignite the questioning mindset and approach life with more interest.
I needed to find My ‘Why’.
The question I needed to ask myself was why I needed change. Why was I doing what I was doing? Once you understand why things are important to you, you change your focus on where you currently are, vs. where you need to be. Understanding why these areas were important to me, ended up changing my whole approach to life. Not, How I was going wrong, but Why.
Get Clear on Your Why
Getting clear on your why, will enable you to see the big picture (10,000 ft.) view of why you’re doing what you’re doing.
- Why are you working 60 hours a week?
- Why are you 40 lbs overweight?
- Why are you in so much debt?
- Why isn’t your relationship working?
- Why have you lost your enthusiasm for life?
For me, clarity on my why shows me how important it is to me. Not Why did I get to 26 kg’s (57 lbs) overweight (i know! – embarrassing right), but why do I think a healthy body is crucial to my existence?
Not asking myself why I wasn’t spending enough quality time with my wife and kids, but Why they’re so important to me.
Asking yourself what’s your why will focus you on why getting in debt is so important to you, or why you’re working so many hours, or why you’re neglecting your loved ones.
It show’s you what’s most important to you.
If something doesn’t have meaning for you, you tend to not place any focus on it.
The Importance of Why
Once you work what’s your why you can then attribute importance to it.
For e.g why am I working 80 hours a week? Well, I love my family and want to provide for them. My Why is my love for my family. So, does this mean you should be working 80 hours a week, or does it mean you need to be there for them, interacting, experiencing life with them?
After re-evaluating what was important to me, I found that I stopped putting time and effort into a number of things that I didn’t feel were important to me.
It actually reduced my sense of overwhelm as I could effectively wipe them from my ‘to-do list’, and concentrate on the things that were most important to me.
Looking at why you do what you do, gives clarity on how important it is in your life.
I found that this approach gave me peace of mind. Knowing how important each area of my life was to me allowed me to ‘prioritize’ what I need to focus on and how much effort I needed to put into it.
Find Courage and Dig Deep
If you think that you don’t have the courage to ask what’s your why think again. You Do!
You can be all that you want to be, you just need to focus on the Why. Don’t be overcome by fear. Be bold and courageous and search out the answers. It could ultimately help you save your own life.
German Philosopher Frederick Nietzsche once said, ‘He who has a why, can endure any how‘.
Knowing your why will move your life in a new, challenging, and rewarding trajectory. It will stretch you and inspire you. It will give you the courage to take risks and to start improving every area of your life.
Knowing your Why is, in my opinion, the most important question you can ever ask yourself. If you want to become a better person, the person you’ve always wanted to become, then asking what’s your why, should be your first priority.
Spend some quality time asking yourself, what’s your why. Trust me, it will change your life!
If you’ve started thinking about what’s your why, jump over to the Facebook Page and tell us your thoughts. We all need encouragement and we need it from people who have gone through the process and can share good news stories.
Stay well my friends, and remember, that you’re loved and you’re awesome!
Ebbo
Watch Simon Sinek below on finding your why.
