I have been a serial entrepreneur since I was a kid and grew up in a large family. That’s how I knew my ‘why.
There were nine kids.
Bobby, Ronnie, Stevie, Terry, Johnny, Shelley, Susie, Kelly, and Debbie. The only thing we learned about money was, “There isn’t any, don’t ask for any.”
From a very young age, I had to do everything on my own. Our parents didn’t pay for anything we wanted to do as a child, from sports to going to the movies. We paid for it. I sold everything possible, from Avon as a little kid to any of the subscription things that you could do.
Moving forward, I became an avid learner of everything I could to build a business.
Some entrepreneurs have this exit strategy, a job, a spouse, or somebody that can write a check if they get in trouble.
I didn’t have that. I didn’t have a back door to exit to if things didn’t work out. I had to make it work out.
That’s the hunger I’m talking about. There’s the why.
What is your big why? Why are you doing what you are doing?
Mine was survival.
What is the bigger reason besides money, besides prestige?
There has to be a bigger why.
If there’s not a bigger WHY then it’s just a business. You can’t do it for money and business.
It has to be that passion that you have for something, and it could be providing for your family, it could be making a name for yourself, or making a difference.
What ticks you off and breaks your heart?
Let’s look at why you do what you do that motivates you, that gets you out of bed so early to be able to do interviews, to be able to do anything you have to do because that “WHY” is big.
How do you find your WHY?
Having a strong sense of why you do what you do is what makes you a good leader, or a great company.
But…keep going even if you haven’t found your WHY yet, because you still need to pay bills and support those you care about.
If we want to uncover the deep meaning of our lives, we need to be informed by our relationships in the real world. And if you want to start a product, focus on the nearest and most accessible opportunity.
However, If it doesn’t give you a deeper sense of fulfillment, innovate. Just keep evolving until you find that one thing that ticks you off and breaks your heart.
Your life doesn’t have to stop just because you have not figured out your biggest why yet.
Conclusion
You need a bigger why because without a good reason for doing what you do, you won’t accomplish much.
Although you can set intentions, resolutions, and goals, if you don’t feel passionate about them, you won’t stick with them or follow through.
However, finding your WHY is best accomplished when you experiment with an idea without overthinking it, to see both how it’s received and how it feels when you do it.
It’s not as dramatic as we hope to be. The “why” doesn’t just fall on your forehead while you’re sleeping. So go put yourself out there. Start doing things and you’ll eventually discover your WHY.
