How Deep Is Your Why

Why do you do what you do? Have you ever asked yourself that question? What do you want to do in life? Why do you want to do that? Have you thought about your WHY?

“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful…”

In order to get to that place, you need to have a very deep why. Wanting to succeed so you can impress others won’t cut it. When things get hard, you will bail because pleasing others isn’t worth whatever you will have to do to reach big goals.

Before going any further in life, take the time to ask yourself why? Why am I going down this path? What will succeeding mean to me and what will it look like? Without asking these hard questions, you will be a victim of your circumstances. You will follow the path of least resistance unless you have the deep motivation that comes with conviction that what you are doing is rooted at the core of your being.

This may sound a little extreme if you have never thought this deeply about why you do what you do, but if you have ever met someone who has this level of conviction, you will notice it immediately. They refuse to be deterred no matter what obstacles they face.

So what does it look like when someone knows their why at a deep level? They no longer need permission from others. They don’t need approval either. They have tapped into a deeper source within themselves. They also stop giving power through attachment to expectations, results, and outcomes. They won’t be stopped by minor setbacks. Therefor, they use those temporary setbacks as markers of progress not as a final judgment.

When you meet someone who wants to succeed as bad as they want to breathe, you take notice. You sense there is something different about them. This difference isn’t something they were born with, it was something they cultivated by constantly asking themselves why. You can do the same!

If you still don’t know what I am talking about, read the Poem Kobe Bryant wrote on The Player’s Tribune announcing his retirement.

How deep is your WHY?

 Andrew is the CEO of Play Present and a Behavioral Researcher in the Stanford Behavior Design Lab. His focus is on creating programs to help people change behaviors and patterns so they can move from surviving to thriving. Through his firm Play Present, he creates programs and products that help people unlock their true potential and reach levels they didn't believe possible. You can find more at www.playpresent.com.