Why

When is the last time you spent some time around a child that is going through the “Why” stage?  You know that age where their response to everything you say is “Why?” and then you give them an answer and their response to that is “Why?”. 

When is the last time you asked yourself Why?  This is a great way to refocus on what is important, figure out where you are headed in life and what you want to accomplish in the short term and long term.  I encourage you to do this on a regular basis because over time your Why’s can change.  As you accomplish one goal or move to another phase in life your previous Why may no longer apply. 

Why Questions to consider:

Why is this important to me?

Why do I spend money on this?

Why do I spend time on this?

Why did I start this in the first place?

Why should I continue?
Why did I fall in love with my significant other?

Why do I still love my significant other?

Why do I love my kids?

Why do I eat the food I eat?

Why do I drink what I drink?

Why do I spend time with the people I do?

Why do I get up and go to work every day?

Why do I feel the way I do?

 

Before starting or beginning something new thinking about your Why can help you find direction and set goals for the journey.  An example of this could be when you are looking for a job or career.  Why do I want to go to work every day?  The simple answer for most people would probably be to pay their bills!  And I would say if that is your only Why then you are probably not living out your true passion or probably do not enjoy going to work.  Digging deeper, you could determine that your Why is that you get to utilize your strengths, you are passionate about your job, you enjoy the mission of the company you work for, or the people you work with push you to be more.  If your job or career has these types of Why’s behind it then you have more than a “job” and are closing to living out your passion. And as they say, “If you Love What You Do, You Will Never Work A Day In Your Life”.

In the middle of your journey thinking about your Why can help push you through to continue or complete it.  I am sure you have heard the phrase, “Remember Why You Started.”  An example of this could be during your weight loss journey.  Will it be easy? No.  Does it require you to change your habits? Yes.  At the point that you might feel like giving up, thinking back to why you started the journey in the first place can help you find motivation to push through that tough period.  Examples of why you started, to lose 10 lbs, I was tired of having no energy, my doctor told me I need to lose weight.  Eventually the reason why you originally started may no longer apply. So once you push through that tough time, you will probably need to revisit your Why.

Revisiting your Why can help you refocus or determine if your Why has changed.  Have you heard about the 7 year itch when it comes to marriage?  Marriage can be hard and if by the 7 year mark you are still trying to push through tough times based on Why you started my guess is you will struggle.  Life for me 7 years ago was drastically different than it is for me today. That was before a house, kids, and was at the beginning of our careers.  My Why in the beginning was based on how I felt when I was around Bo and just enjoying being in his company.  While that has not gone away, I can tell you that hasn’t been what has gotten us through tough times.  People grow, and hopefully change, based on the fact their priorities over time change.  Now as a Mother and Father with a house, we have more to think about than just us.  My Why now includes him being the positive force that helps remind me of what is truly important, the way he interacts with our son, and us wanting to help each other become more.

Reviewing your Why at the end of a journey or after completing something can help to determine what your next step or next journey should be.  Let’s go back to the weight loss example to explain this.  Your journey could have been to lose 10, 20, 30 lbs, get back to your pre-baby weight, clean up your diet, etc.  What happens when you get there?  Do you just stop and go back to your old ways, I sure hope not.  Now you have to review your Why.  The next step in your journey may be to maintain the weight loss and set a good example for your children.  To do so your original Why may help you, but I bet you would be more successful on the next phase if you came up with a more current Why that applies to this specific step in your overall journey.  

Continue to develop yourself. Be like that 4 year old that is constantly asking “Why?”. Don’t accept an answer or result because someone told you that was the answer. Figure out your Why’s, write them down, and review them often.  Push yourself to be more because you deserve it!