“If you know the why, you can live any how.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche
What’s the why?
That’s the question you need to ask yourself when setting a goal.
It’s the fuel that’s going to fire you, to get you to the point where you can accomplish a goal, whether personal or professional.
Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Yet so many of us set goals repeatedly that we don’t achieve.
When we understand the reasons why, we can make very conscious decisions in our mind about how and what to change to be able to accomplish our goals This makes all the difference as to whether you achieve the goal – or not at all.
“The WHY can help set a vision to inspire people.
The WHY can guide us to act with purpose, on purpose.” ― Simon Sinek
Knowing your why changes the entire experience of achieving goals. Once you know your why and live your why, you will enjoy setting goals for yourself and going through the process of achieving those goals.
The Critical Component of Goal Setting
Goals don’t have to be business related. Anything you strive for to make your life more mindful and peaceful can be a goal.
There are critical components to achieving goals.
The easiest way for me to explain this is with my desire to play the piano.
My WHY for learning to play the piano at this point in my life is not present.
I don’t have a compelling reason for wanting to play the piano right now. As a result, if I started to take lessons, I know I would not be committed enough.
Someday I will be. It will be important to me and I will stick with it.
Right now, I’m happy spending my time helping others learn and building this business because I want to create an impactful leadership example and an opportunity for others.
What’s my point?
Knowing Your WHY is a Game Changer.
You need to have a compelling enough reason for why you want to achieve a goal.
If I’m going to beat myself up because I’ve been meaning to play piano for many years but never did, if I come from that place of shaming myself, I’m definitely not setting myself up for success to learn the piano.
What have I learned about the process?
Wait. Do it when you’re ready. That’s when you can look at all your goals and what your compelling reasons are as to why you desire them.
That changes everything!
Remember the 4 Levels of Learning?
In my last podcast, I explained the 4 levels of learning and the willingness we need to move ourselves out of old habits to relearn things and create new pathways and new habits.
For adults, that can be challenging.
We get stuck in a pattern – some call it stubborn- but it’s because we’ve created strong neural pathways in our brains. It’s so much easier to keep running the same way. It’s hard to undo old habits.
To learn something new we must create new pathways. If we’re going to do that, we have to have a compelling why. We can do that when we’re aware of the 4 levels of learning.
A Quick Review of the 4 Levels of Learning
- Unconscious incompetent: When you don’t even know what you don’t know. You’re a beginner and know nothing.
- Conscious incompetent: You are keenly aware of all the things that you don’t know. Many people want to quit at this stage.
- Conscious competent: You’re learning and refining your skill with commitment and diligence.
- Unconscious competent: You no longer must think about it. It comes to you without you having to be conscious of it.
But there is a challenge, too.
You become aware of all the things you need to learn and think how much easier it would be to quit and go back to your old ways, whether it’s your old eating habits or old job.
It’s no secret that it’s a whole lot easier to quit than keep going.
We’ve all fallen into the “I can’t go on anymore.” If you do manage to keep going, it is challenging because you need to learn to stick with it – and that’s hard work.
We’ve all been there, right?
To Reach Level #4 And Your Goal, You Must Know Your WHY
If you want to get to level #4:
You need that powerful compelling reason – your WHY.
That is what is going to fuel you. It generates feelings in you that motivate you toward your goal.
A client offered a great analogy, comparing injuries at the gym to attaining goals. Even while injured, he returns to the gym to work out, talking about the injury with others, pushing past the point of strength and exhaustion as symbols of pride, as if comparing battle scars.
So instead of giving up and going back to the old way, instead of giving in to your injuries, look at all the injuries towards your goals with pride:
- Set clear, deliberate goals.
- Know your reason why.
- Define the fuel that will power you through.
- Ask if you’re willing to feel the injuries along the way to get to your finish line – no matter what?
Use Your WHY to Push Beyond Failure
Why can’t we be that prideful of our failures when we’re trying to relearn anything?
Those at the gym keep getting hurt, but they are pushing their bodies harder and they’re getting stronger – and they love it. The injuries were meaningless – injuries didn’t hold them back from getting where they wanted to go.
They see the value. They know the why.
Why can’t we do that with all our failures?
How many times you would be willing to take those extra risks if it meant you could be proud of your accomplishments, even with the injuries?
So…about those goals of yours: You have big aims, but you don’t know how to get there. Sound familiar? Let us help. Trust us, it’s easier, quicker and simpler than you think!
Get started here – it’s quick & easy.
“The WHY can help set a vision to inspire people.
The WHY can guide us to act with purpose, on purpose.” ― Simon Sinek