Most people do not know what their true calling in life is. Some people just don’t care about this and are happy to be a drifter in life and just “go with the flow”. Others do care about it but have problems with identifying their real purpose in life. So what do you need? You need a WHY statement!
Let’s look at the reasons why you need a WHY statement, how to get the best results from your WHY statement, how to get the most from your WHY statement, how to find your WHY, and how to write a good one. Plus why your business needs a WHY statement and how to create a strong one!
6 Reasons Why You Need a WHY Statement
- It will provide clarity about what your purpose in life is.
* If you don’t know your true life’s purpose then you will end up doing things that you really don’t want to do. There are so many people working jobs that they hate just to pay the bills. They dread Monday mornings and always feel apprehensive on Sunday nights. This is no way to live your life.
* When you know what your true purpose is in life you can take action to achieve this. You will have more confidence and can get a job that will align with your purpose. You will have more energy and be motivated every day. - A WHY Statement Sharpens your Focus
* Without the right focus in your life it is easy to set goals that you are not truly committed to. A lot of people follow their friends and other influencers in their life and end up setting the same goals as them. We are all different and this rarely works out well.
* When you identify what you really want your life to be about this clarity helps you to work out your next moves a lot more easily. You can use your WHY statement to drive you forward each day and achieve what you really want from your life. - You will make the Right Decisions
* Have you ever made wrong decisions in your life? Of course you have we have all done that. When you have a strong and compelling WHY statement it will help you to make much better decisions in life.
* A lot of decisions have serious consequences and if you don’t know your true purpose then you can dismiss these consequences in exchange for short term pleasure or gain. With a good WHY statement you will assess the long term consequences and be able to make better decisions. - It Provides more Accountability
* People that have no purpose in life tend to shy away from accountability. They are just happy to drift along but then complain bitterly when things go against them. It is never their fault of course and always someone else’s.
* With a powerful WHY statement you will know where you are going in life and be accountable for this. You will think things through more and only take action where it aligns with your WHY statement. This additional accountability will make you a better person. - You will be Healthier and Happier
* If you only want to consider one of these reasons to have a compelling WHY statement then this is the one to choose. There is nothing more important than your health and your happiness. When you are happy then you tend to be healthier. If you are unhappy then your resistance is down and you can experience all kinds of health issues. - Your Resilience will Increase
* Everyone has to face problems in their life. For some people these problems are too difficult to handle and they become overwhelmed and stressed out. When you have a compelling WHY statement you can see these problems as opportunities for you to grow and attain fulfillment in your life.
Getting the Best Results From Your WHY Statement
It is no easy task to identify your real purpose in life and write a compelling WHY statement that will drive you forward. In reality this is going to take a lot of time and effort to get it right. So when you make this kind of investment in your WHY statement you want to make sure that you get the most out of it afterwards.
In this article we will explain how you can do that. As soon as you have your WHY statement written you can start to do these things which will help to transform your life for the better. Don’t just write your WHY statement and then not take any action and follow through on it. If you don’t take action then there is no point writing your WHY statement.
Use your WHY Statement to set inspiring goals
Only a small percentage of the population actually set goals. Some of these people choose to do this at New Year when they are in a drunken haze. We do not recommend this as it rarely works out well. Others will set goals with a clear head but they end up going for goals that they are not totally committed to and then fail to achieve them.
You may be wondering why anyone would set themselves goals that they are not really committed to. Well it happens a lot and sometimes this can be other people influencing us to do something that seems like a good idea at the time.
For example you may have a close friend that has decided that they want to climb Mount Everest. They put pressure on you to do this with them. You agree because you value their friendship but you do not really have any desire to start mountaineering.
You go to classes with your friend and soon lose interest. Your heart is not in it like theirs is. So what do you do? Well you may have to dream up some credible excuse why you cannot pursue this goal with them. Maybe lie about a physical problem that you have which prevents you from climbing mountains?
This kind of thing can be completely avoided when you have a clear and compelling WHY statement. You will have clarity about where you want to go with your life and there will be no need for you to be influenced by others.
It will be a lot easier for you to identify and set your goals when you have a powerful WHY statement. You will also be totally committed to achieving the goals because they are in line with your real purpose in life. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Let your WHY Statement guide your decision making
Without truly knowing what your purpose in life is it will be very easy for you to make the wrong life choices. You will be vulnerable to any temptations that come your way and to ride the wave of the “next big thing”.
Most decisions that you need to think about have consequences. People that drift along aimlessly in life rarely consider these consequences and as a result end up living a life that they don’t want.
When you have a powerful WHY statement as a guide you will make a lot better decisions in your life. It doesn’t matter how big or small the decisions are you can use your WHY statement to guide you down the right road.
Getting The Most From Your WHY Statement
There is no doubt that any good personal WHY statement takes time and effort to create. So having made this investment in your WHY statement you will want to get the most that you can from it.
Quite rightly you took quite a long time to write and refine your WHY statement so that it was as clear, concise and powerful as it could be. So now it is time for you to reap the benefits of your new powerful WHY statement and in this article we will show you how to do that.
Motivate Yourself
Inspiration alone is usually never enough to achieve your goals. There are going to be times when you are not in the right frame of mind and just cannot be bothered to take action. When you have a strong personal WHY statement you can use it to provide you with a significant motivational boost.
We strongly recommend that you have a copy of your personal WHY statement by your bedside.
Every morning after you get out of bed you should read your WHY statement out loud so that it motivates you and gives you the energy that you need for the day ahead.
It is also a good idea to keep a copy of your WHY statement with you so that you can access it at any time. If you feel the need for a motivational boost at any time of day, and wherever you are, get out your WHY statement and read it again.
There is no limit to how many times you should read your WHY statement each day and be motivated by it. That is one of the main reasons that you spent all of the time and energy writing it so use it as often as you need.
Set Your Goals
You are very unlikely to achieve goals that you are not truly committed to. Maybe you were persuaded by others to set certain goals in the past or you just thought that it was the right thing to do.
With a strong WHY statement you can forget about what others say and any other influencers. You know what your purpose in life is now and you have clearly defined this in your WHY statement. This clarity is essential for you to set goals that you are inspired by and truly committed to.
You are aware of the contribution that you want to make to the world and the impact that you want to have. So use this to set goals that will move you forward with both of these. Create your goals and plans around your personal WHY statement and you will be totally driven to achieve them.
Make Decisions
You should find it easier to make decisions going forward now that you have a strong and clear WHY statement. Instead of making some decisions without considering the consequences as a lot of people do, your WHY statement will guide you to make the right decisions.
Your WHY statement has provided you with direction and purpose for your life so always have it in the back of your mind when you are making decisions. Ask yourself if making a particular decision will move you closer to your life s purpose or move you away from it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a good WHY statement?
The Best Way To Find Your WHY
There are a small percentage of the population that spend a great deal of time trying to identify their true purpose in life. This is agonizing for them and some will find their true WHY and others will not.
The reality is that some people just don’t care about their WHY. They are happy for life to control them and drift along day by day. But you need to find your WHY because it is important. Once you know your true reason for being then you can pursue this with passion and vigor to attain complete fulfillment.
Ways you can Find your WHY
Most people try to find their WHY using trial and error. They jump on every opportunity that they can to see if it leads to the Promised Land. This may work in a very small number of cases but will fail most of the time.
Another thing that you can do to try and find your WHY is to follow others. Maybe you have a friend or someone else that you are close to that you believe is a lot happier than you are and want to do the things that they do.
So you decide to set the same goals that they do in the hope that you will find the same results. The problem is that you are not going to be as committed to these goals as your friend is. When your heart isn’t really in something then there is not much chance of you achieving your goals.
Maybe you have seen something on the Internet. You see people are really happy with this so you decide to pursue it as well. But you need to bear in mind that most of this is marketing and that the people looking happy in the ads are being paid to do this. Please don’t believe everything that you see on TV or the Internet.
Finally you can decide to really find your true purpose in life. It is not going to be the easiest path for you to take but you know it is the right one. Trying to follow the passions of others is rarely the best thing to do. You need to know what your true passions are and then do everything possible to follow them.
We are all have different passions. Only when you identify what yours really are will you find fulfillment. So don’t waste your time with trial and error or following someone else because it is not going to work.
Ask yourself questions to find your WHY
If you want to find your true purpose in life then you need to take the time out and ask yourself some soul searching questions. This is not going to be an easy task and it will take you time. But the rewards are worth it because discovering your WHY is one of the best things that you can do in life. Here’s what to ask yourself:
- How can I improve the life of others?
- What are the things that I do where time seems to pass by quickly?
- What did I really enjoying doing as a child?
- When people ask me for help what help do they want?
- What would I do if I didn’t have to worry about money?
Use your answers to these questions to determine your WHY and create a WHY statement.
How To Write A Good WHY Statement
Once you have discovered your true calling in life you want to create a WHY statement around it. Your WHY statement needs to be compelling because you want to use it to motivate you every day to do the right things to attain fulfillment in your life.
There are a number of formats that you can use to write your WHY statement but at the end of the day it is up to you. There are no hard and fast rules here. The most important thing is that your WHY statement really resonates with you and that it is effective.
Four Elements of an Ideal WHY Statement
Although you don’t need to conform to any set rules there are four elements to a good WHY statement that we strongly recommend that you follow. Your WHY statement need to be very clear and as concise as possible for you and any people that you choose to share it with. So we strongly recommend that you include these 4 elements in your WHY statement:
- Make your WHY statement clear & simple
It’s important that your WHY statement provides clarity about your life’s purpose. It needs to be simple to understand and as concise as you can make it. At the end of the day it needs to make sense and resonate with you. - Your WHY statement needs to guide action
Your WHY statement must inspire action. There is no point just writing it and then do nothing about it. It needs to inspire you to work towards your true calling in life and motivate you to work on this every day. - Include your Contribution to others
If you can help others then you will help yourself. Every good WHY statement needs a contribution element to it so make sure that yours does as well. Having a contribution element will inspire you to move forward each day. - Make your WHY statement positive and ensure it resonates with you
It will actually be pretty difficult for you to create a WHY statement that is negative but ensure that it is really positive. When you read your WHY statement it needs to resonate with you and motivate you to take action towards your life’s purpose.
How long should your WHY Statement be?
Again there are no strict rules to follow here. Your WHY statement needs to be as long as you need it to be. Having said that we recommend that you keep your WHY statement as short as you can.
The most important thing is that your WHY statement contains the 4 important elements that we discussed above. While others may be able to write their WHY statement in 1 sentence this may not be enough for you. This doesn’t matter at all so please do not worry about this.
Aim for an Evergreen WHY Statement
An evergreen WHY statement is one that you will not have to change very often, if at all. You want to use your WHY statement in all aspects of your life both in your work and personal life.
When you are writing your WHY statement, think about it as a way to express the value that you provide to others at work and in your personal life. There is no need for you to write two WHY statements to cover this.
What about a business WHY statement?
A WHY statement for a business is known as a “mission statement”. Having a good mission statement is important but most business owners don’t bother to create one. Or they write one and then never look at it again.
- It provides direction — Your customers, employees, suppliers, and stakeholders will see how new products and services align with the direction that the company is heading and will be more committed to them.
- It provides employee unification — When you have a strong mission statement and you share this with all parties it makes it easier for everybody working on the product launch project to see how they fit in and how important their role is.
- It helps to maintain focus — When a company grows, bosses and workers can lose their focus. With a explicit mission statement in place it will provide guidance during periods of growth. The mission statement will remind everyone of the main goal and help to keep its reputation intact.
- It creates accountability — Any business will exist to fulfill a specific purpose or need and this needs to be stated clearly. A business needs to be accountable so that it can continue to improve and serve its customers better. If the overall purpose of the business is unclear then it is going to be difficult, if not impossible, to make these improvements.
