Why do I need to know my Why?
Why do I need to know my Why?
Alex was working as a journalist and was very good at what she did. She enjoyed delving in and getting to the heart of issues so she could then report on that issue. She had a natural knack for helping people feel extremely comfortable and at ease. These people would then open up to Alex and she would be able to get the information she needed to write a great piece.
But Alex found herself asking the question, is this it? Is this what I have been put on the planet to do? Surely there must be more to life than what I’m doing? It was Alex asking herself these questions that led us to come together.
Through our time together what we unpacked was that Alex did love connecting with people and understanding what their story was all about. Mostly, she found that she was really interested in helping organizations and individuals understand their significant moments of the past, so they were captured and not lost. Alex would then help shape this information so individuals could continue to grow their business and themselves without losing the essence of what made them and their business so special.
Alex achieved this by helping people become masterful at storytelling and getting them to write about their own journey and the journey of the business, including the key moments and people in the past who had contributed to who and where they were today. Alex finally found what she felt she had been put on the planet to do and she loved doing it. Alex had become an expert in helping others become great storytellers.
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Why are we here?
Have you, or someone you know ever questioned what you’re doing or why are you here? Discovering your reason for being can be a challenge. We often hear the word ‘purpose’ or ‘why’ and we think it’s one of the ‘fluffy’ words that is difficult to get a clear meaning of. In fact, we can often experience our eye’s rolling into the back of our heads when we hear these words and start thinking, here we go again, fluffy stuff.
Our why represents our authentic self and includes our purpose (our reason for being) our values (the things that are important to us) our awesomeness (the unique contribution we make).
Image by Deb Bailey
The value of understanding our why
The value of understanding our why helps us discover our reason for being, the reason why we are on the planet. We are all just visiting planet earth, and doesn’t it make sense to live in such a way that we make the best possible impact on the people and the world around us?
Understanding our reason for being enables us to live more authentically and fully, knowing what is important to us, what we will compromise on, and what we will say no to. It helps us stand out in a way that makes us strong and leaves us feeling congruent as opposed to fitting in and feeling like we have left our soul someplace else.
Harold Hillman Ph.D. in his book Imposter Syndrome talks about by virtue of our fingerprints, we are unique. I love the truth in the fact that we are the only version of ourselves on this earth and it’s our duty to live life to the best of our ability. So, let’s get clear on what our unique contribution to this planet is, and let’s live a life on purpose and designed to make us feel fulfilled every single day.
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Bigger than myself
Understanding our reason for being and feeling like we are living a life of purpose can often mean we are intentional about living a life that is bigger than who we are as an individual. This has to do with the contribution we make to others. After all, if we don’t do what we do for the benefit of others, then what is the point?
When we think about our reason for being or our Why it helps to think about whom we will be contributing to. Who are we here to help, service or guide? Is it as a parent or as a leader in my community or workplace? Getting clear on our reason for being, often holds this concept of doing or being something bigger than myself. When we understand what this is for ourselves, we have a far greater connection, determination, and desire around our future.
Having clarity on our future enables us to live in integrity. We are intentional around what we do and we have a deliberate impact on how we want to contribute to the world. Simon Sinek in the book Find your Why said, “every single one of us is entitled to feel fulfilled by the work we do, to wake up feeling inspired to go to work, to feel safe when we’re there and to return home with a sense that we contributed to something larger than ourselves.” I believe we achieve this by becoming clear on our personal why and then we are able to look for careers and opportunities that help us live that reason for being, every day.
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Need some help?
If you are looking to get clear on your reason for being and want to get more out of your career, we should chat to see if my Leading with Impact 1:1 Coaching programme would be of interest to you.