How to Own Your Why – 5 Simple Steps

To create the fulfilling life you were meant to live — to experience lasting personal development — to meet your needs so that you can become self-actualized — you need to define your Why.

What is your Why?  According to Simon Sinek, your Why is the purpose, cause, or belief that drives you.

Your Why can be used to create life-changing habits that will lead you to the life you want to live. Which is why it has to be well-defined and persuasive enough to keep you on the right path during difficult times — the times when you start doubting yourself and want to give up.

But let’s not stop at defining our Why. Let’s own it!

Think of a daily life-changing habit you would like to build into your life, and then commit to working through these 5 simple steps:

1. Define what you want today. What would your life look today if you had already implemented this habit? Answering this question will give you the motivation to get started. Don’t overthink it; the answer can be completely superficial. We all respond to instant gratification, and connecting our why to today will give us a taste of that instant gratification. As soon as you feel your motivation start to wane, probably within two weeks, move on to step 2.
2. Define what you want 6 months from now. Think about the benefits you will reap in the next 6 months from maintaining the daily habits you’ve been tending? And what results will these habits produce? Create an engaging, idealistic mental picture of what the results you are going to achieve look like. Go back to this mental picture when you need motivation.
3. Tell people about your new habits. If you haven’t already, start spreading the word. What have you committed to doing? How are you doing it? And how have you progressed? This will accomplish 2 things. First, now that you’ve put your commitment out into the world, you’ll want to hold yourself accountable for your actions. Second, you might inspire someone else to take a positive step toward defining and owning their Why as well, and that will re-inspire you.

Keep scrolling for steps 4 and 5.