Why do you do what you do?
Here’s what this is intended to help you do:
- Get direction
- Gain momentum
- Use your time more efficiently / Help stop you from wasting time in the short and long run
- Set up the foundation for guiding principles in all the following steps
- Create consistency in your life and hopefully a happy future.
Before you start any game and figure out a strategy, you aught to consider whether you like the game you’re about to play, and if you wan to play it at all.
A lot of times I find myself wanting to do something because I feel the need to do it. I want to win at some game or do the best I can do on whatever project is in front of me, and that’s fine in some cases, and often has little influence on ones life. But what if it were something more important.
What if it’s something you’re going to invest a lot of time into? What if it’s something that’s going to shape you in some way?
Well… Then you aught to consider WHY you are doing it. Does it fit who you are and what you believe.
I’m writing this to help you set goals. To accomplish something. This is not likely to help you on some one our project.
One of the first things I learned about getting on track to set goals and accomplish what I wanted, was to ask myself “Why am I doing this?” and subsequently “do I want to do this?”
If you’re going on a road trip to Alaska (or Hawaii for those of you who aren’t good with geography haha), I’d ask myself “Why Alaska?” and as a sub question “Do I really want to go to Alaska? It’s a long trip. Why am I doing it? Forget about the resources. I’m convinced that just about anything can be done, and that details can be worried about later. So for now, just ask yourself, “why?”
IF what you’re going really fits who you are, what you want, what you believe, then it makes sense to move forward.
I’d hate for you to get half way to your destination only to find out that you hate cold weather and prefer the tropics, or that you were only going because you felt pressured to go or didn’t know where else to go. There will be a lot of miserable people that would simply forge ahead for forging aheads sake. Hopefully you aren’t one of them. People like that seem to love being miserable, so maybe it’s the right choice for them?
This is all just for people who want to pursue some goals in their lives. To be honest I think you could be happy and made a difference anywhere you go, but if you’re going to invest a lot of time into something, make sure your reasons are right. Some people I know what to be actors because they want the fame, but they hate acting. That’s a nice recipe for failure 🙂 Don’t do that. Start asking why and get your internal compass out. Then we’ll start working on a plan.
The book that was recommended to me was “Starting with Why.” Here’s a link: https://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591846447
If find that you’re happy with the direction you’ve chosen, then you might be ready for step 2 (next week). If not, take a little time to think about why you do what you do. What motivates you and what kind of things you’d like to do that go along with your own internal workings. Take at least a day, maybe a week to think. Though failure is always a good option, it’s best to avoid having to turn back after embarking.
