From the moment you learn to talk, the most recited word in your vocabulary is “WHY?” As a relentlessly curious child this burning question plagues your parents as you pester them. WHY? WHY? WHY? You want understanding, for things to make sense, for the world not to seem like one big question mark.
As adults, the curiosity gives way to a deep yearning. You move from questioning why the stars sparkle or the sun comes up to an absolute need to know the purpose of existing. Why are we here? What is the point? Sadly, most people die with that question within them.—what’s the meaning behind this crazy thing called “life”? Why am I here—really?
At the root of it all, we crave a “feeling”, a feeling that equates to successful living, that somehow we matter, our work matters, our existence carries weight in one sphere or many. And in this “feeling” lies the magic, the hard-wiring, the coding that guides our every decision. Because when we find the behavior that gives us that “feeling” of success we repeat it over and over again. We run every decision through a lens that is programmed to guide us back to a success that is already predefined. It becomes WHY we do all that we do.
What’s your WHY? WHY do you think the way you think, talk the way you talk, act the way you act? What if you could see the world through a different lens, a view that comes straight from inside you…from your own hidden belief system, your own WHY. What if the world just made a little more sense?
If you could hover above yourself and watch your own actions, you would see a pattern that repeats itself over and over. You behave in the same fashion at work, outside of work, with friends, colleagues and even foes—always in pursuit of a “feeling” that gives you ease, comfort & safety and quenches the need for success, as defined by you. There is a programming that is yours and all decisions are colored by it, everything you think, say or do. We call it your WHY and when you figure it out, it’s like being reintroduced to yourself.
Every individual and every organization needs to know their WHY. Inspired organizations live it on a daily basis. It’s your gift, what makes you unique and special. It’s what makes others connect with you on a profound level, either personally or as an organization. It’s worth taking the time to step back and figure it out. Don’t YOU want to know YOUR gift?
