The phrase “What’s your why?” has been around awhile. Though it’s tempting to dismiss it as a business-Bingo buzz phrase, it’s worth the time to think about why you do what you do—in any setting. If “obligation” is the first word that pops into your head, let’s dig a little deeper and reevaluate the type of tasks you spend your time on compared to what you really value. Knowing your “why” gives meaning and motivation to take on challenges and reach your stretch goals; including your financial goals.
Your “why” is something personal that only you can formulate—it lives inside you. It may be as simple as something like this:
“I want to influence society for the better.”
“I want to make money and feel security.”
“I like to spend time with my family.”
“I’m seeking the thrill and adventure in life.”
“I want to pay for my daughter’s education.”
Whatever it is, let it inspire you and be the reason you wake up in the morning, because nobody has the power to motivate you—nobody but you.
So how do you find your why if you haven’t already? An effective way to bring your priorities into immediate focus is to imagine yourself at the end of your life looking back. What advice would you give yourself? Though your priorities may change as you go through life, you’ll likely be able to pinpoint where you would have spent more time. When you’ve discovered it, whether it’s obvious or you’ve had to do some soul searching, WRITE IT DOWN.
Margie Warrell in her Forbes post titled, Do You Know Your Why?, offers four additional ways to find it.
What makes you come alive?
The word inspire comes from the Latin, meaning “to breathe life into.” Accordingly when you are working toward things that inspire you, it literally makes you feel more alive. What makes you come alive isn’t referring to taking your dream holiday or watching your favorite team play football (unless you’re called to a career as a football coach or commentator!). It’s bigger than that. I’m talking about a why that moves up the food chain from being about you to being about something bigger than you. It’s about connecting with what you’re passionate about, knowing that when you focus your attention on endeavors that put a fire in your belly, you grow your impact and influence in ways that nothing else can.
You don’t have to declare at this point that you want to invent the next iPad, solve the world’s energy problems or cure cancer (though you might!). This is about you connecting to a cause that’s bigger than you are, but which is also congruent with who you are what you care about.What are your innate strengths?
What are your innate strengths?
In The Element, Sir Ken Robinson says that our element is the point at which natural talent and skill meets personal passion. When people are in their element they are not only more productive, but they add more value and enjoy more personal and professional fulfilment. Accordingly, it’s also often where they also tend to make more money!
What are the things you’ve always been good at (sometimes wondering why others find it so hard?) Are you able to see patterns and opportunities amidst complexity? Are you creative, naturally adept at coming up with ‘outside the box’ solutions? Are you a natural born rebel with an innate ability to identify where the status quo is in need of a makeover? Are you brilliant in the details, naturally good at executing projects with a precision that some find tedious? Or are you a naturally gifted communicator, technocrat, diplomat, networker, leader, problem solver, or change agent? For a free strengths survey visit Viame’s website.
Of course, you can also be passionate about things you have no natural talent for, and talented at things for which you hold little passion. However experience has shown me that we rarely aspire toward ambitions we have no natural talent to achieve. As civil rights leader Howard Thurmon once wrote, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive, then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Indeed they do.
Where do you add the greatest value?
Doing work that you’re good at, but which you loathe, is not a pathway to fulfilment. That said, knowing your greatest strengths and where you can add the most value—through the application of your education, skills, knowledge and experience—can help you focus on the opportunities, roles and career paths where you are most likely to succeed and therefore find the greatest sense of accomplishment and contribution.
Too often we undervalue our strengths, skills and the expertise we naturally acquire over time. If you reframe the concept of adding value through the lens of solving problems, you can ask yourself what you’re well placed and equipped to help solve in your workplace, career, organization, or industry. You can also ask yourself what problems you really enjoy solving, and what problems you feel passionate about trying to solve. You’ll then be more successful at focusing on your natural strengths and those things you’re innately good at than trying to bolster or eliminate your weaknesses.
How will you measure your life?
People who don’t stand for something, can easily fall for anything. Deciding how you want to measure your life means making a stand for something and then living your life in alignment with it.
Ultimately, living with purpose means focusing on things that matter most. Ironically, the things that matter most are rarely “things.” That said, while some people are in a position to trade the security of a regular salary in order to pursue a passion, many simply can’t—at least not in the short term or without violating core values (like paying off debt or providing for their family). But following the money and following your heart don’t have to be mutually exclusive. By shifting the lens in which you view what you are doing now, you can profoundly shift your experience of it. No matter what your job, you can draw meaning from it and find greater purpose through how you do what you do. If you don’t think you’re the kind of person you’d want to work with, then consider that it may not be because of the job you do each day, but your attitude toward it.
Read entire article here.
Your “Why” for Building Wealth
Finding your “why” when thinking about your financial strategy can bring a whole new meaning to building your wealth and leaving a legacy for your family—it can literally motivate you to reach your financial goals. If you keep your “why” in mind as you decide what your strategy needs to offer, you’ll likely find that you need your money to grow, you need access to liquid funds, and you need to be able to allocate where that money goes after you are gone. Your “why” is the whole reason you have a financial strategy.
At Paradigm Life, we want to show you how the Perpetual Wealth System can offer all of these features as you build wealth with your “why” in mind. We always recommend building your wealth in a stable environment outside of Wall Street that has offered proven returns for over a hundred years. It’s easier than you think, and e are excited to invite you to take 2 minutes to sign up for a FREE, extensive eCourse called Infinite 101®. You’ll receive access to video tutorials, articles, and podcasts. It literally costs you nothing to become educated on this ideal financial strategy and start changing your wealth paradigm!
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