What Is Your Why?
When you know WHY you want to achieve something, and WHY it is important to you, you’ll find it so much easier to stay focused and motivated to succeed. You may think you want success, but unless you know your ultimate WHY, this could be the difference between a successful outcome and failure. Clarity is key and knowing what your motivation is will help you identify your priorities and understand what is important to you and/or your organisation, and what is not.
There are so many incredible books and resources available which cover this question really well, and two of my favourites are;
Simon Sinek’s book ‘Start With Why’ and
Stephen Covey’s habit ‘Begin With the End in Mind’ from his book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.’
Both of these books are incredibly empowering and offer tools to adopt this mindset and way of thinking. Mindset is key. Knowing what your purpose is forms the fundamental starting point. What is it all for? What are the beliefs you hold to be true? What are your values? These are the things that influence the way you see the world, the decisions you make and the actions you take.
Once you have established your WHY, you’ll be able to form a clear vision of your future and what needs to happen to take you there. You’ll open your mind to possibilities and be able to explore the opportunities in front of you.
Here are some questions to ask yourself;
What motivated you to start your business?
What is the problem that your business solves and for whom?
What makes you different? What is your USP?
What is your big dream or goal?
Where will your business be in 5-10 years?
Are your life plans and business goals aligned?
What would you want the world to say about you?
What’s your story? What would you like your story to be?
So take a moment, grab a pen and paper and jot down your answers and ask yourself, “what is my WHY?”
Faye Watts is a Strategic Business Coach and founder of London accountancy firm, FUSE Accountants. Sharing business development skills with business owners like you through planning, coaching and advisory. She is also the co-founder of Audrey an online platform for women who know there’s more to life and sits on the board of various organisations, including as a trustee for the charity Neuroblastoma UK
