Simon Sinek famously said:
Every single person, every single organization on the planet knows what they do, 100 percent. Some know how they do it, whether you call it your differentiated value proposition or your proprietary process or your USP. But very, very few people or organizations know why they do what they do. And by "why" I don't mean "to make a profit." That's a result. It's always a result. By "why," I mean: What's your purpose? What's your cause? What's your belief? Why does your organization exist? -- (TED Talks)
I watched Simon's TED talk and within the first minute, I paused the video and reached for my notebook. It's mid-January, and I finally decided what my New Year's resolution was to be: to figure out my why.
It sounds a little cliché to constantly be searching for your purpose in life, but if you are able to draw your focus on fulfilling a purpose, you will be able to easily migrate around the things in life that need no attention to and work towards those that do. You'll be able to constantly ask yourself, "Okay, does doing this help me to fulfill my end goal?" If not, dismiss it.
We are all here for a greater purpose, but we are certainly not getting younger with each passing day, nor are we devoting enough time to figure out our why.
So where do we start? Start with mapping out the top five aspects that make up your life: It probably looks a little bit like family, friends, job, home, and a hobby. What is your purpose in each of these aspects of your life? The what, who, where, and when will probably constantly change but the why shouldn't. Map out your purpose and every time you are faced with a challenging or difficult situation, revisit your "why," take a step back, and breathe. Will overcoming this challenge or difficult situation help to fulfill your purpose?
By starting with the "why?" we are invigorating passion for why we do the things we do. Like Simon said, every single person knows what they do and how they do it. It's the why that 2015 is challenging us to figure out.