Knowing your WHY can help you succeed in business. The other day my client Carmen* was telling me that she wants to shift more of her business into teaching workshops, but she’s not sure how. I asked her why she wanted to do this. Her first words were “I thought that ...” She proceeded to list several logical reasons – “it would be a good source of income, require less effort which would give me time to take care of my health,” etc. All very reasonable answers – except - I watched her shrink as she shared this with me. The light in her eyes that had just been there when she was explaining her ideas for the workshops was gone.
Know Your WHY
I realized what had happened – her first words “I thought” alerted me.
As creative, heart-based entrepreneurs, logic-y, business-y, mind-based reasons don’t excite us – they barely matter to us! What drives us is the heart’s reason, the soul’s reason why we’re doing this. That’s what gives us the energy, inspiration and motivation to show up, persist, work hard, persevere through challenges and overcome obstacles.
Carmen had that! I had just seen it, and I knew that staying connected to her heart’s reason would help her manage the challenges, decisions and myriad details involved in teaching workshops. With a strong heart’s WHY she’ll get through the parts of the project that are not her forte, the conversations that challenge her, the setbacks that make her feel like quitting. We’ve all been there - anything worthwhile is a labor of love – there are parts that flow and parts that suck!
Knowing our soul’s reason reminds us WHY we’re doing this in the first place - it helps us endure the not so great parts, and puts it in a larger, super magical, and let’s go there – divine – higher purpose - context.
Carmen smiled – she got it – and began talking about the healing power of the work she does, and how drawn she feels to share it so people can participate in their own healing. She was once again lit up. Anchored in her heart’s reason, we can now strategize the big picture of her business, and work on the practical details of how to bring her workshops to life.
* Name and details have been changed to protect client confidentiality
What’s your why?
What’s your deeper reason for doing what you do, besides making money, and putting a roof over your head? What’s your heart’s reason? How do you notice it help you navigate your life and business?
I’d love to hear your experience. Pop me an email and let me know!