Finding your why

You may or may not be familiar with the notion of “finding your why”. It is a motivational method used by many successful individuals all around the world which relates to identifying the main reason as to which you would like to achieve a specific goal.

“Deciding how you want to measure your life means making a stand for something and then living your life in alignment with it. Living your life with purpose means putting all your efforts on things that matter the most to you”  – Forbes

Whether your goals are related to health, fitness, career, relationships, etc., it can be all too easy to let life get in the way and lose sight of why you are working so hard on something. Keeping your why in focus will help to remind you why you started to begin with.

Finding your why can be simple, just think about what you want and what you want it for. Do you want to lose weight so you can be more active with your family? Maybe you want to achieve the body of your dreams to develop your self-discipline and enhance self-confidence? Or maybe you just want to improve your overall health and well-being. This may help boost your productivity and make those important career moves you’ve been thinking about. The best thing about improving one area of your life is that when done correctly it can usually be applied to enhance other (if not all) areas too, win-win!

Goal setting

Once you have discovered what your why is, the next step is to set goals and devise an action plan. The most basic principle to goal setting is the SMART method: ​Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant & Time-based. Make sure your goal on achieving your why is ​specific​ to ​you​ and the purpose it will serve in your life. It is easy to get carried away with what others are doing, especially with social media. This is one of the most self-sabotaging traits we can have.

Your why should also be measurable​. Ensure you create a step by step process of how and when you plan to achieve each stage. It may also help to set short-term and long goals to help you plan out this process. Short term goals can be based on what you want to achieve in 12 months or less. Long term goals are goals you set to achieve in over a year plus. It is human nature to often be hard on ourselves and set unrealistic goals which are almost impossible to reach. This can put added stress and pressure on ourselves which may lead to the feeling of giving up.

To avoid this it is vital to make sure the goals you set are ​attainable​ and based on your own personal skills and abilities to reach them. Making sure your goal is based around such principles will also mean it is ​relevant ​to you. When goal setting focuses on what it means to you and what lengths, you are willing to go to achieve it. Last, but not least make sure your goals are ​time-based​. There is no point in setting a goal with no intention of when you would like to achieve it. Creating a cut off date of when you will reach the goal adds urgency and motivates you to stay focused.

Lifestyle not a quick fix

Staying motivated can be hard, no one is denying that, but it can be done! Finding your why and setting SMART goals will most certainly boost your motivation. However, there are a few other tips that can help you stay on track even during the toughest days. Holding yourself accountable for your own actions is very important, no one is going to achieve your goals for you. Likewise, no one else can sabotage your progress but your own actions and decisions. Saying this it can also be nice to share your journey with others and having an accountability partner (a friend, family member, coach, etc.) can also help to spur you on and vice versa.

However, be sure to pick the right person who shares similar goals, values and someone you can learn from. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people has been shown to have positive benefits towards your progress and development. Remember, you are a product of your environment so make sure you are surrounded by people and things that reflect where/who you want to be in life. Overtime creating healthier habits will install a newfound mindset and level of motivation.

Conclusion

Ask yourself what do you truly want from life and also what can you give back once you have achieved this. Whatever your why is make sure it is personal to you and never give up on yourself. Don’t forget to subscribe to the mailing list to keep up to date with more content which can help keep your motivation at an all-time high!

“When your why is big enough, you will find your how.”