Why before WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW and anything else you could think of.
But WHY?
When what we believe (Purpose),
When what we see (Vision)
When what we do (Behavior)
is in alignment, we have the propensity for significance
“It is often not Motivation that we lack but Clarity”
This statement nails it on the head when we SEE clearly when we Understand clearly then we find the motivation to do it. Let’s take the role of parenting, why should we parent our kids at all? Why don’t we just have kids and let them do whatever they want with no input from us? In the minds of every parent must be the fact that they one day are going to leave your house and have to do all this for themselves. It is that fact alone that motivates us to get involved in their lives and prepare them. It is that fact that distinguishes the difference between punishment and discipline, one deals with the past the other the future. In the light of where they are going to be we act in this way now.
This is equally true in all areas of our life, we do this, because of that. As long as we know the reason for something (The WHY) we find the time and energy we improve and learn, we challenge and grow. Anyone that has been around me for business coaching knows the very first question I always ask is What does the end look like? Quoting my hero Stephen Covey ‘Start with the End in Mind’.
Every decision you make will be informed by the destination you have in your mind.
The WHY question is huge and many books have been written dedicated to this little word. Identifying and aligning our lives around a WHY statement is incredibly powerful and will keep you on track in stormy seas. A WHY statement does not have to be about a type of job you should be in but rather about WHO you want to be and How you want to be when you are doing whatever it is you are doing. The destination might change many times but the person on the journey won’t, so we need a firm grasp of WHY I exist and who I need to be.
Don’t confuse goals with purpose
When I ask people what is your WHY they usually give me a list of goals to be completed.
Getting rich is NOT a purpose but rather a goal. Being the biggest company in the industry is a goal, not a purpose. Starting this company so I become financially self-sufficient is a goal, not a purpose.
The purpose is the end game, while goals are the means to the end. A company may sell computers to finance the starving in Sudan. The purpose is to feed the starving and make a product that people want to buy that produces the funds.
The problem comes when we fall in love with making computers and forget the purpose was a means to feeding the starving people. I call it falling in love with the vehicle and forgetting the destination.
Don’t fall in love with the vehicle and forget the destination
If you have a clear sense of the destination you are embarked on you can then select the right kind of vehicle for the part of the journey you find yourself on.
In startups this can become a serious problem, the new co enjoys the new widget that has been developed and all the trappings that have come with it, the new offices, staff, excitement of the journey and soon lose sight of the destination (purpose), unwilling to let go of the initial vehicle that got them thus far to embrace the next vehicle that is required.
The theme of clarity again comes out of this, knowing WHY you started this journey in the first place.
When the WHY is big enough the HOW is not a problem
When the things or people in our lives are under threat we suddenly find the energy, money, motivation required to meet the threat. The problem needs to be put in perspective with the WHY we need to solve it. Talk to anyone who decides to run a marathon, when they connect fully with the WHY of running the race they find the energy, motivation, and answers to the many problems that come up to prevent them from getting to the goal.
When problems arise which they definitely will the best advice is to first stop and examine the WHY for getting us here in the first place. Breath life into that WHY making it grow and start to let it change your perspective, almost certainly the problem will start to reduce in size.
Connecting with your WHY is an essential discipline in life. Aligning with our internal values, dreams and goals helps to keep us grounded and focused.
Strategic rather than Tactical
“Grand strategy is the art of looking beyond the present battle and calculating ahead. Focus on your ultimate goal and plot to reach it.”
― Robert Greene, The 33 Strategies of War