Find Your Why
One of Mark Twain’s famous quotes is
The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.
Mark Twain
Howard Partridge says, “The definition of success is becoming the person you were created to be: to fulfill the purpose you were put here on earth to fulfill.”.
God put you here on this earth in the place that you are right now at this very moment for a reason. You are not an accident and where you are on this earth is not an accident.
So knowing that, do you know why? Why are you here? Why are you in the place that you are in right now? Do you know?
I agree with what Brian Tracy says. He says, Decide upon your major definite purpose in life and then organize all your activities around it.
For the sake of what we are doing today, I would change that statement slightly to say
Discover your major definite purpose in life and then organize all of your activities around it.
Brian Tracy
I have a few exercises you can complete if you haven’t quite figured out your major definite purpose yet.
What are your Gifts and Talents?
The first and most important step to finding your why is to spend a few hours in a quiet place, if you can, and ask yourself the following questions. What am I good at doing? What comes naturally to me? What is it that I do, that brings me joy?
I know you have God-given talents and skills that come easily to you and that are just second nature to you. That’s what we are looking for. Write those things down.
If you need examples, here are a few:
There are people that are natural leaders. From the time of toddlerhood, they take charge and direct the world and people around them. (We all know a few of those people.)
There are other people that love to cook and entertain. They are most happy when they are feeding someone or when having 20 people over for a dinner.
Another example would be someone who is a natural mechanic. They intuitively know how to take things apart, fix them, and put them back together again. Yes, they may have to gain practical knowledge but, still, fixing things comes easily and naturally to them.
Those are a few simple examples of what we mean. So what do you do well? What natural talents do you have?
Write those things down. They will help to guide you to your why.
What moves you?
Secondly, what are things that move you? What are some things that you feel compelled to do? Are you an advocate for something? Like protecting animals or children?
Perhaps you work to end human trafficking or you are a Big Brother or a Big Sister. Perhaps you help with the literacy program at your local library.
Recognize what you are an advocate for and add those things to your list. You can’t be successful or fulfilled if you are doing something that violates what you truly believe in.
What do you value?
Third, make a list of your core values. What are the things that are truly important to you and guide your decisions and actions? Examples might include:
- Your faith
- Your family
- Integrity
- Trustworthiness
- Courage
- Adventure
- Respect
- Honesty
- Freedom
- Education
- Wealth
- Generosity
- Loyalty
- Kindness
- Contribution
- Peace
- Patriotism
- Organization
- Justice
Along with aligning your life with your strengths, you must align what you do in life with your values or you will be miserable.
Listen to that still small voice on the inside of you. When you move in a direction or when you are making life choices, you will either have a sense of peace or uneasiness or even a sense of dread. Always follow the sense of peace. You can’t violate your conscience and truly fulfill your purpose on this earth.
How do you want to be remembered?
Lastly, consider also the legacy that you want to leave when you are no longer on this earth. What do you want people to say about you when you are gone? What kind of a mark do you want to leave on your family or your community?
Tom Ziglar says to come up with key phrases and words for which you want to be known. For instance, he says his family is known for giving hope and encouragement.
Add those key words to your list.
Now, look at your lists of your strengths, your passions and your values and what legacy you want to leave.
Use that list to put together a mission statement. That mission statement will beautifully express your personal why.
My mission statement is still a work in progress but in a nutshell it is
To encourage, inspire, and educate Christian leaders in the areas of personal development, productivity, goal setting, and spirituality so that they might find their calling, embrace the season of life that they are in, and in so doing, impact their world for Jesus in their own unique way.
In her book, Pep Talk, Terri Savelle Foy, has lists of affirmations and scriptures to meditate on and to read aloud each day. One of those is
I will fulfill my destiny down to the last detail.
Terri Savelle Foy
I would recommend you say that out loud to yourself several times a day.
It’s amazing that what goes into your mind, changes your mind especially when it is coming out of your mouth!. Speaking out affirmations or scriptures will bring you clarity and will keep you in God’s perfect will.
Also, now that you have at least a rough draft of your mission statement, put it on your mirror or in your journal where you can see it every day. Let it remind you why you are here and where you are going especially when the road gets rough and times get tumultuous.
Feed your mind with words that build you up and support you in the work you know God has called you to do,
Next time we get together, we will talk more about creating a plan to lead you into success as you live out your why.
Review
In review, the main thing we learned today is God put you here on this earth for a reason. You are not an accident and where you are on this earth is not an accident.
If you are questioning your why, there is a way to to find it.
- First, acknowledge what you are good at. What are your God-given talents? What brings you joy?
- Second, what are things that move you? What are you an advocate for?
- Third, what are your core values?
- Lastly, what kind of legacy do you want to leave?
Once you discover those things, put them together to form your personal mission statement. Finding your why, will help you know how you are called to change your world in your own unique way
