To be clear, that subject line has nothing to do with my mother so keep reading.
A concept was popularized a few years ago regarding people’s “Whys.”
Simon Sinek didn’t create the idea but his book Start with Why gave it legs!
In a nutshell the principle is something Victor Frankel stated in his classic book, A Man’s Search for Meaning. He said, “If your why is big enough you can endure any how.”
Let me use myself as an example. As you can imagine I have some pretty serious health and fitness goals. They involve me taking some pretty serious action in terms of workouts, nutrition, and rest. I won’t get specific on the goals because that’s not what’s important here. What’s important is my WHY. The reason for my goals are pretty powerful (to me at least):
I have 3 little girls and a great wife I was lucky enough to marry. I’m in the final stages of my thirties. I not only want to do what I can to be around for them but I want to feel my best in terms of energy and strength. I also want to be the best leader in other areas of my life and I realize that without my health, I’d be severely limited.
It’s because of this WHY that I’ll do things like say no to engagements that stretch me too far, work out every day regardless of how busy I am, avoid desert food most of the time, and prioritize my sleep and rest.
Unfortunately, my back locked up really bad this morning while working out. It brought me to my knees. Not fun. It was partly my fault as I felt a twinge and pushed through anyway. I also didn’t warm up properly. Very embarrassing to admit. It’s extremely frustrating to have a set back like this but my WHY will keep me going and focusing on the things I can control. The rest I will trust God with.
Everyone’s why is different. I encourage you to think about yours. Once you connect with it, it will give you the passion you need to follow through even in the midst of life’s challenges.
Here are a few recent WHYS some of our members have shared with me:
- I don’t want to turn into my mom – One woman was telling me that she has a similar body to her mother and she doesn’t want to turn into her. It was no disrespect to her mother but she spent years taking care of others while neglecting herself. You see, nobody wins in that scenario and the daughter (our member) recognized that.
- My thighs are touching – Another recent new member hated the feeling of her thighs touching together. The pain of that feeling is driving her towards positive action.
- Daily function – A male member just told me how important daily function was to him. He’s 61 and still has a pretty active job. He noticed his legs giving out a bit in terms of strength and endurance which drove him to put in the work and improve his situation. As an aside, he’s down 3 belt loops!
These are just examples. You need to find YOUR why.
If you’re comfortable, I’d love to hear yours.