Do you understand what your "why" is? What is it that causes you to do what you do every day?
When I was in my 20’s and 30’s my motivation was centered on proving to myself that I could be successful in sales; there was a certain amount of money I wanted to make. I had bills to pay and a young family to take care of. As I satisfied my goals I found myself at a plateau. I found that to go to a new level of life, I needed a different "why". It was the Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs model…….A new level of needs had to be identified to go to a higher level of life and accomplishment.
Business Coach
Within the last year I was at a seminar in which a business coach asked the group of attendees “what is your why?” The exercise would go something like this…
Coach: Why do you do what you do?
Me: Well it’s to make money.
Coach: Why is that important?
Me: I need to pay my bills.
Coach: Why?
Me: I don’t want to go to jail. I need to take care of my family.
Coach: Why is that important?
Me: Well I want my family to have opportunities, to be successful.
Coach: Why is that important?
The process can become rather annoying...but, eventually you get to the core beliefs that are really driving your "why".
I found that one of my core "whys" that drives me to do what I do is: I want those closest to me to love and respect me the most. That’s a good definition of success and why I do what I do each day.
So is 2011 the year you need to identify a new "why"? Is there a cause in your community, in the world that stirs passion in you? Think of the causes: hunger, the homeless, children, poverty, orphans, many parts of the world do not have drinkable water, the issues are endless. What can you do that will make a difference one life at a time?
If you’re stuck in a rut, you have reached a plateau. If you can’t understand why your results aren’t better-----find a new "why" that causes you to take action!