Have you thought about the “why”?

When I went to a “live your passions and goal setting” workshop early last year, there was one point of goal setting in that workshop that I had never really considered or given enough weight to. It rang true for me, as it did all the workshop participants, and it resonates again with me today as I build out my plans for a new direction in my career.

If you want to give yourself the ultimate fuel towards your passions, you must answer one simple, but very important question: Why?

Why do you have a specific goal, and why do you want to achieve it?

It seems that we often get caught up in the what and how, and skip right over they why. But they why is the reason it matters, the reason we are fueled each morning to get up and do it, the reason we care so deeply about its success. In the workshop I was in last year, our instructor had us write down things like “what would it feel like to achieve your goal” and “how would your life be different”? These are all ways to get at the why and help us consider the importance of the goal before diving straight into the how.

For me, my why is about achieving my more perfect life: travel, giving back to charitable causes, making the world a better place.

Last year, my goals had to do with the every day – the way I lived my life. The why in changing my life balance was wanting to feel more in control, more able to enjoy each and every moment, more of feeling that all was good in each and every moment right here, slowing down and smelling the roses, so to speak. I did a good job with my goals last year and considering why they were important to me helped me turn away from distractions and focus on what was important.

This year I am focusing on a more long term desire – to have a more fulfilling and exciting career. And the why for this goal is being able to have more of an enjoyable environment around me – beautiful house, comfortable living, working on something I enjoy with others, as well as being able to help and inspire others.

The what & how, they are just a means to an end. The why is what gets the wheels turning, and makes the obstacles seem unimportant compared to the gains. Today, as I did a year ago, I was persuaded to write down my “why.” And in the why, you feel the emotion of what you really want to do come out.

Whether we are looking to change our lifestyle, our career, or simply change an aspect of our day, we can never downplay the importance of why… it is the fuel that drives us on in the face of fear, insecurity, or difficulty.