FINDING YOUR WHY...
Updated: Jun 14, 2021
Who said that the why of your life has to be boring and mundane? It is what you want it to be - there is no need for it to be noble, monetary-worthy, or something huge. It can be something as simple as, “I want to spend more time with my kids!” What is most important is that you are proud of it. Wear it like armour and remember and think about it every day when you wake up.
Your why is the reason that gets you out of bed every morning. The thing that brings focus and motivation to what you want to achieve. In essence, it is who you are.
Ask yourself: “Why am I doing what I'm doing?”, in your business or your daily life.
If you are on the right track, the reason you discover will be the same throughout your professional as well as your personal life. So, that is part of who you are and your brand as well.
This is how I discovered my why… I have been in the design industry for about 20 years, 10 of which I have been running my own business. I reached a stage where I realised that I am not fulfilled in what I do anymore. I felt as if I do not have a purpose and barely making a positive change. Even though I might have been making positive change, it sure did not feel that way – which means I was not aligned with my why.
I decided to embark on a journey in discovering my why. From there on I've changed my course direction like a compass. I still stayed in the same creative industry, but I utilised my passion and my skill differently and decided that I am going to build an online course to help small business owners get up-skilled. Providing tools and insight to take control of their own design, marketing, and social media skills. Effectively, they will not feel overwhelmed but rather empowered.
I applied all my knowledge, skills, and expertise from over the years and packaged it into a concise course that will help you to feel empowered to succeed in your business.
Someone's opinion that I value quite highly is British-American author and inspirational speaker, Simon Sinek. You can watch his videos on YouTube, he has quite a lot of videos about finding your why, along with many other inspirational talks. He shares a winsome little exercise where he challenges you to go and ask a few of your good, close friends why they value your friendship. I would suggest you plainly ask, “why are we friends, and what makes our friendship worthwhile for you?” and see what they say.
This is important; ask them not to be too “fluffy”, saying things such as you are “kind” or “sweet, etc. Ask them to think deeply about things such as how it makes them feel to be friends with you. I personally did this exercise too. I was astonished by the answers, and I was quite emotional because it resonated exactly with what I believed what my why is too. Words like “trusting”, “honest” and “non-judgmental” were mentioned. They claimed they felt safe with me.
Those things are completely in line with who I believe I am, both personally and professionally. And that is what is part of my brand. That is my why.
I hope this helps shed a bit of light on how to find your why, because it is extremely important. That will be what keeps you on course when times are tough, and you face a lot of obstacles along the way. Focusing on your why will help you get over the obstacles much easier. It will motivate you and build your self-confidence daily.
Work at your own pace because remember everyone is competing against themselves in their own race.
xx
Reinette
P.S. Do yourself a favour and join my private Facebook group called The Brand Builder Blueprint. This is a group of phenomenal women that are building their brands with the knowledge and skill that I share with them inside.