We live in a tough world: the city life demands us to wake up, go to work, deal with people (employer or employees), make money, come home, make food, manage personal life, go to bed, wake up, and repeat. This daily cycle is demanding. Challenges and the potential for failure is inevitable, overtime these tests challenge our motivation often leading to shortcomings. Do you ever wake up some days and wonder, “Why am I even doing this?” Perhaps there are times when it’s just a fleeting moment and you push past that feeling. Other times it lasts more than a few minutes. Or you might just go through the motions, which can also be pretty bad. If you’re not doing things with care, it shows. Without a reason for what you do, it’s hard to stick with something because things are not always going to be easy. You’re going to wake up not feeling like doing the work sometimes. You’re not always going to want to show up. That’s where your WHY comes in.
Now, imagine a world in which the vast majority of us wake up inspired, feel safe at work and return home fulfilled at the end of the day. Whether you are an entrepreneur, an employee, a team leader or member, or are looking to find clarity on your next move, your WHY is the one constant that will guide you toward fulfillment in your work and life. The WHY is the purpose, cause or belief that drives every one of us. Everyone has a WHY. Do you know yours?
Now, imagine a world in which the vast majority of us wake up inspired, feel safe at work and return home fulfilled at the end of the day. Whether you are an entrepreneur, an employee, a team leader or member, or are looking to find clarity on your next move, your WHY is the one constant that will guide you toward fulfillment in your work and life. The WHY is the purpose, cause or belief that drives every one of us. Everyone has a WHY. Do you know yours?
Why Find Your Why?
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At this point you may be asking why waste any time to understand why you do what you do?
The WHY is the purpose, cause, belief, or driving factor that motivates people to achieve goals. Why did you get out of bed this morning? Why do you care about achieving your goals? Discovering your WHY injects passion into your work. This is not a formula for success. There are many methods to be successful; however, finding your why will help you achieve long-term, fulfilling success. Whether you acknowledge it or not, you have a purpose on this Earth. Identifying that purpose may not be as cut and dry. If you don’t know what your why is, it’s really easy to give up and quit. Why bother being the healthiest person that you can be; why be in a relationship; why strive for a career; why do anything if you cannot identify a purpose for doing it? Find a reason, find a purpose, find a why, because without one you may lose hope. Whether its a loved one, an animal, or a situation, identifying a purpose to be alive leaves an impression of importance and provides momentum to help you continue through the hardships of life. |
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The Golden Circle - Start With Why
Simon Sinek wrote the book "Start with why", and developed what is referred to as the golden circle. The golden circle is composed of three circles; the what, the how, and the why. Every person and organization operates on three levels: what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. We all know what we do: the goals we set or the jobs we do. Some of us know how we do it: the process of achieving those goals. But very few of us can clearly articulate why we do what we do. We all want to live in the inner circle - the why. But most people, for the majority of their lives, are focused on the outer circle - the what. Let's break down this down.
The WHAT: There is no doubt that this is where most people are living. Many people keep their primary focus on what they are looking to get, what they are looking to achieve, what they are looking to become, what their relationships will be, what they are looking to get out of life, what anything will look like or result in. Often times when people talk about about goal setting, many get caught in the what. This is because the what is the material world, the physical reality. This is not inherently a bad thing. What is the type of health you want to achieve; what is the type of career you want to obtain; what are you looking for in a family; what type of home or area would you like to live in? This is where goal setting comes in. However, the what doesn't really matter until you dig a little deeper into the golden circle. Given this, let's get this straight, there is no problem with focusing on your goals, the what. There is nothing wrong with wanting to enjoy our reality, and manifest our desires (as long as they are healthy desires). After you figure out what you want, we need to begin to move towards the inner circle.
The HOW: After you have discovered what it is that you want - the car, the house, the job, the relationship - next you need to understand how to achieve that goal. This entails what you need to learn, and how to implement that. This is how to get the what that you want. Say you want to become a doctor, well you have to go to medical school and follow the process, that is how you achieve your goal. Say you want to lose 20 pounds, the how would be how you are going to lose that weight. So what you want is your goal, the how is how you are going to make that happen. The how can be achieved by studying those who have already attained your goal, or getting an advisor to explain and teach you how to get the what. The how entails how you are going to turn a thought into action. Thoughts and actions are miraculous things, especially when you manifest them with precision, and you will go far in life in you just do that. However, if you want to live an exceptional life, if you want to live a life where even if you are not getting what you want out of life, and still truly be happy, you will have to understand the innermost circle.
The WHY: When you look at all of your goals, and when you set your goals, you need to step back and assess how important they are to you. Immediately after you set any goal, regardless of what it is, ask yourself why. Why is it that you want to lose 20 pounds? Why do you want to nice car? Why do you want the big house? Why do you want that career? Why do you want the family? You must come up with an answer for why you want your goal, your what. This is because, if you do not have a big enough why, you will stumble at your first obstacle. The first obstacle, where life sets in, can set you back causing you to never get back on track. The few that continue past this obstacle know their why, a deeper reason for why they want something. If you don't have your why is it easy to give up and not follow through with your goals. Why does your what have meaning to you? Understanding your why will push you through those obstacles, because it is inevitable that you will encounter challenges. No one achieves their goals and attains success without encountering hardships. These challenges have a purpose to teach you things, so you learn not to do them in the future. As you learn not to do them in the future, you realign and figure out what it is that you need to do to attain your goals. So, if you do not know your why, you will most likely give up at one of those obstacles. When your why is strong enough, you will pursue and persist past those challenges, the long and stressful days. The why never changes. What ever goal it is that you create for yourself, have the why behind it, make the why huge. If you have a goal and you do not have a why behind it, you either need to figure out deep into your subconscious mind of what that why is, why you wanted that goal in the first place, or shelf that goal until you have a big enough why. Move onto a goal that truly matters to you because what matters to you always has a why. Your why is what means the most to you.
Establish your goals, but have a why behind them. Why do you want to achieve your goals? Your goals are your what. After you know your what, you will begin to implement the blueprint, the system, the how; how you will achieve the what. But at the deepest level, in order to truly achieve your goal, you must have a strong enough why. If you create your why, even if you don't have the best how, and you you don't know your what, it will all fall into place. You will meet the people you need to meet to achieve your goals. You will do the things that you are supposed to do. You will begin to get in line with the vision you have for yourself and your life. From here your life will effortlessly unfold in your favor. You are on a journey, a path. And if you know your why, you don't need to arrive at the destination at any specific time, begin you enjoy the process with your mission intact. If you live by your why, infinite happiness will manifest because you know you are in alignment with who you are at the deepest level possible.
The HOW: After you have discovered what it is that you want - the car, the house, the job, the relationship - next you need to understand how to achieve that goal. This entails what you need to learn, and how to implement that. This is how to get the what that you want. Say you want to become a doctor, well you have to go to medical school and follow the process, that is how you achieve your goal. Say you want to lose 20 pounds, the how would be how you are going to lose that weight. So what you want is your goal, the how is how you are going to make that happen. The how can be achieved by studying those who have already attained your goal, or getting an advisor to explain and teach you how to get the what. The how entails how you are going to turn a thought into action. Thoughts and actions are miraculous things, especially when you manifest them with precision, and you will go far in life in you just do that. However, if you want to live an exceptional life, if you want to live a life where even if you are not getting what you want out of life, and still truly be happy, you will have to understand the innermost circle.
The WHY: When you look at all of your goals, and when you set your goals, you need to step back and assess how important they are to you. Immediately after you set any goal, regardless of what it is, ask yourself why. Why is it that you want to lose 20 pounds? Why do you want to nice car? Why do you want the big house? Why do you want that career? Why do you want the family? You must come up with an answer for why you want your goal, your what. This is because, if you do not have a big enough why, you will stumble at your first obstacle. The first obstacle, where life sets in, can set you back causing you to never get back on track. The few that continue past this obstacle know their why, a deeper reason for why they want something. If you don't have your why is it easy to give up and not follow through with your goals. Why does your what have meaning to you? Understanding your why will push you through those obstacles, because it is inevitable that you will encounter challenges. No one achieves their goals and attains success without encountering hardships. These challenges have a purpose to teach you things, so you learn not to do them in the future. As you learn not to do them in the future, you realign and figure out what it is that you need to do to attain your goals. So, if you do not know your why, you will most likely give up at one of those obstacles. When your why is strong enough, you will pursue and persist past those challenges, the long and stressful days. The why never changes. What ever goal it is that you create for yourself, have the why behind it, make the why huge. If you have a goal and you do not have a why behind it, you either need to figure out deep into your subconscious mind of what that why is, why you wanted that goal in the first place, or shelf that goal until you have a big enough why. Move onto a goal that truly matters to you because what matters to you always has a why. Your why is what means the most to you.
Establish your goals, but have a why behind them. Why do you want to achieve your goals? Your goals are your what. After you know your what, you will begin to implement the blueprint, the system, the how; how you will achieve the what. But at the deepest level, in order to truly achieve your goal, you must have a strong enough why. If you create your why, even if you don't have the best how, and you you don't know your what, it will all fall into place. You will meet the people you need to meet to achieve your goals. You will do the things that you are supposed to do. You will begin to get in line with the vision you have for yourself and your life. From here your life will effortlessly unfold in your favor. You are on a journey, a path. And if you know your why, you don't need to arrive at the destination at any specific time, begin you enjoy the process with your mission intact. If you live by your why, infinite happiness will manifest because you know you are in alignment with who you are at the deepest level possible.
The Science and effect of Why
People who are inspired over the long term are the ones that feel the most accomplished. Whether we like to admit it or not, we are not entirely rational beings. If we were, no one would ever fall in love and no one would ever start a business. Faced with an overwhelming chance of failure, no rational person would ever take either of those risks. But we do. Every day. Because how we feel about something or someone is more powerful than what we think about it or them.
The problem with feelings is that they can be tremendously difficult to express in words. This is the reason we so often resort to metaphors and analogies. Even though communicating our feelings is hard, the payoff is big. When we align with our emotions, our connection is much stronger and more meaningful than any affiliation based on features and benefits. That’s what starting with WHY is all about.
The concept of why is intriguing because it is grounded in the tenets of the biology of human decision making.
The problem with feelings is that they can be tremendously difficult to express in words. This is the reason we so often resort to metaphors and analogies. Even though communicating our feelings is hard, the payoff is big. When we align with our emotions, our connection is much stronger and more meaningful than any affiliation based on features and benefits. That’s what starting with WHY is all about.
The concept of why is intriguing because it is grounded in the tenets of the biology of human decision making.
The outer section of the Golden Circle—the WHAT—corresponds to the outer section of the brain—the neocortex. The neocortex is responsible for rational, analytical thought and language. It helps us understand facts and figures, features and benefits.
The middle two sections of the Golden Circle—the WHY and HOW—correspond to the middle section of the brain, the limbic system. The limbic system is responsible for all our behavior, decision making, and all our feelings, like trust and loyalty. But unlike the neocortex, the limbic system has no capacity for language. This is where intuition or “gut feelings” come from. It’s a feeling we get about a decision we have to make that we struggle to explain.
This separation of powers is the biological reason we sometimes find it difficult to put our feelings into words (“I love you more than words can say”), explain our actions (“The devil made me do it!”) or justify our decisions (“I don’t know ... it just felt right”).
We can learn, however, to put words to those feelings. And those who do are the ones who are better able to inspire action in themselves and among their peers.
Once you understand your WHY, you’ll be able to clearly articulate what makes you feel fulfilled and to better understand what drives your behavior when you’re at your natural best. When you can do that, you’ll have a point of reference for everything you do going forward. You’ll be able to make more intentional choices for your life. You’ll be able to inspire others to join your cause. You won't have to act on gut decisions that are made for reasons you don’t really understand. You can work with purpose, on purpose. It starts with WHY. If we want to feel an undying passion for our work, if we want to feel we are contributing to something bigger than ourselves, we all need to know our WHY.
The middle two sections of the Golden Circle—the WHY and HOW—correspond to the middle section of the brain, the limbic system. The limbic system is responsible for all our behavior, decision making, and all our feelings, like trust and loyalty. But unlike the neocortex, the limbic system has no capacity for language. This is where intuition or “gut feelings” come from. It’s a feeling we get about a decision we have to make that we struggle to explain.
This separation of powers is the biological reason we sometimes find it difficult to put our feelings into words (“I love you more than words can say”), explain our actions (“The devil made me do it!”) or justify our decisions (“I don’t know ... it just felt right”).
We can learn, however, to put words to those feelings. And those who do are the ones who are better able to inspire action in themselves and among their peers.
Once you understand your WHY, you’ll be able to clearly articulate what makes you feel fulfilled and to better understand what drives your behavior when you’re at your natural best. When you can do that, you’ll have a point of reference for everything you do going forward. You’ll be able to make more intentional choices for your life. You’ll be able to inspire others to join your cause. You won't have to act on gut decisions that are made for reasons you don’t really understand. You can work with purpose, on purpose. It starts with WHY. If we want to feel an undying passion for our work, if we want to feel we are contributing to something bigger than ourselves, we all need to know our WHY.
How to Find Your Why
In Japan, millions of people have ikigai (pronounced Ick-ee-guy) — a reason to jump out of bed each morning, a why. The Japanese island of Okinawa, where ikigai has its origins, is said to be home to the largest population of centenarians in the world. Researchers have observed that individuals that have lost their purpose can have a detrimental effect on longevity. What’s your reason for getting up in the morning?
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Ikigai is seen as the convergence of four primary elements:
Discovering your own ikigai is said to bring fulfilment, happiness and make you live longer. In order to find your Ikigai? Ask yourself the following four questions:
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If you find the point at which passion, mission, vocation and profession meet, you may find your purpose, your why. If you are still having difficulty determining your why, start writing something down. Meditate on your why. Talk about your why to others to help bring clarification. Once you get an idea, begin to share your why with others. Be persistent, it will come to you.
If you are still having trouble, you can begin to intentionally live your life in a matter of 5 minutes by honestly answering 5 simple questions:
When you honestly answer all of these questions, and put it all together, you can begin to understand your life purpose. Despite the catchy headline, it is best to give this some time, it's your life purpose - start with 5 minutes, then progress to a couple hours per week.
Still having trouble? If at this point you are unable to determine your why, you must return to the basics and ask yourself what you value. Once you have a sense of your highest values, you have the opportunity and power to reshape your life and ensure your goals, your actions, your relationships, your career, and your highest values all align. Awareness of your deepest values enables you to create the inspired life you dream of, one that expresses your unique contribution and mission here on Earth.
If you are still having trouble, you can begin to intentionally live your life in a matter of 5 minutes by honestly answering 5 simple questions:
- Who are you? State your name. Despite the 8 billion people on this planet, you are unique. Recognize that.
- What do you do? What do you love to do? What obligations do you have? Are you a parent? Where do you work? What tasks do you complete? What is your future plan? What are you working towards?
- Who do you do that (what you do) for? Who do you serve? Picture those who you serve in your mind.
- What do they (who you serve) want or need (from what you do)? Do you achieve your goals to help others live a better life?
- How do they (who you serve) change as a result (from what you do)? What do the people you serve get out of what you do? How do the people you serve transform?
When you honestly answer all of these questions, and put it all together, you can begin to understand your life purpose. Despite the catchy headline, it is best to give this some time, it's your life purpose - start with 5 minutes, then progress to a couple hours per week.
Still having trouble? If at this point you are unable to determine your why, you must return to the basics and ask yourself what you value. Once you have a sense of your highest values, you have the opportunity and power to reshape your life and ensure your goals, your actions, your relationships, your career, and your highest values all align. Awareness of your deepest values enables you to create the inspired life you dream of, one that expresses your unique contribution and mission here on Earth.
Building the motivation to change
Depending on your why, you're more than likely going to have to make changes in your life, whether they be to your diet, your workout
routine or your sleeping habits. Your ultimate potential lies in your ability to make the modifications necessary to create lifestyle that you desire. But it all begins with a dream, a purpose, a why.
Without a dream worthy of achievement, it’s hard to find the motivation to make lifestyle changes that lead to your ultimate potential. It’s a strange and curious human tendency that we need to believe in something bigger than ourselves to move toward. Human beings are fantastic dreamers. Every great human achievement came about because someone dreamt it first.
A great way to sustain the changes you want to make in your life is to find a way to connect the those specific lifestyle modifications to your life’s Dream – your living legacy. One of the reasons why people have such a difficult time sticking to their workout routines or to healthy eating habits is precisely because those changes aren’t connected to a greater goal. But once you know that losing that weight, removing that brain fog, eliminating that gut bysbiosis, for example, is a necessary step in reaching your dreams, you can draw on the motivational power of your dreams in order to make that change. It takes on meaning and importance that it otherwise lacked. So whenever you’re looking for motivation, you need look no further than your legacy.
routine or your sleeping habits. Your ultimate potential lies in your ability to make the modifications necessary to create lifestyle that you desire. But it all begins with a dream, a purpose, a why.
Without a dream worthy of achievement, it’s hard to find the motivation to make lifestyle changes that lead to your ultimate potential. It’s a strange and curious human tendency that we need to believe in something bigger than ourselves to move toward. Human beings are fantastic dreamers. Every great human achievement came about because someone dreamt it first.
A great way to sustain the changes you want to make in your life is to find a way to connect the those specific lifestyle modifications to your life’s Dream – your living legacy. One of the reasons why people have such a difficult time sticking to their workout routines or to healthy eating habits is precisely because those changes aren’t connected to a greater goal. But once you know that losing that weight, removing that brain fog, eliminating that gut bysbiosis, for example, is a necessary step in reaching your dreams, you can draw on the motivational power of your dreams in order to make that change. It takes on meaning and importance that it otherwise lacked. So whenever you’re looking for motivation, you need look no further than your legacy.
References
Cabral, S. (2018). Do You Know Your Why?. [podcast] The Cabral Concept. Available at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cabral-concept/id1071469441?mt=2&i=426405796 [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].
Chek, P. (2001). Finding Your Life's Purpose. [online] Paulcheksblog.com. Available at: https://www.paulcheksblog.com/finding-your-life%E2%80%99s-purpose/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].
Hellem, K. (2017). How to re-discover your purpose. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/findingyourpurpose/ikigai-how-to-re-discover-your-purpose-f714c173a02d [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].
McCabe, S. (2016). 242: Find Your Why and the Reason You Do What You Do. [online] seanwes. Available at: https://seanwes.com/podcast/242-find-your-why-and-the-reason-you-do-what-you-do/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].
Oppong, T. (2018). Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life Might Just Help You Live a More Fulfilling…. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/thrive-global/ikigai-the-japanese-secret-to-a-long-and-happy-life-might-just-help-you-live-a-more-fulfilling-9871d01992b7 [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].
Sinek, S. (2018). The Science of WHY | Start With Why. [online] Start With Why. Available at: https://startwithwhy.com/commit/the-science-of-why/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].Sinek, S. (2018). The Science of WHY | Start With Why. [online] Start With Why. Available at: https://startwithwhy.com/commit/the-science-of-why/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].
Chek, P. (2001). Finding Your Life's Purpose. [online] Paulcheksblog.com. Available at: https://www.paulcheksblog.com/finding-your-life%E2%80%99s-purpose/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].
Hellem, K. (2017). How to re-discover your purpose. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/findingyourpurpose/ikigai-how-to-re-discover-your-purpose-f714c173a02d [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].
McCabe, S. (2016). 242: Find Your Why and the Reason You Do What You Do. [online] seanwes. Available at: https://seanwes.com/podcast/242-find-your-why-and-the-reason-you-do-what-you-do/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].
Oppong, T. (2018). Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life Might Just Help You Live a More Fulfilling…. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/thrive-global/ikigai-the-japanese-secret-to-a-long-and-happy-life-might-just-help-you-live-a-more-fulfilling-9871d01992b7 [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].
Sinek, S. (2018). The Science of WHY | Start With Why. [online] Start With Why. Available at: https://startwithwhy.com/commit/the-science-of-why/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].Sinek, S. (2018). The Science of WHY | Start With Why. [online] Start With Why. Available at: https://startwithwhy.com/commit/the-science-of-why/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].
