For most of my life, I was habitual about hitting the snooze button. Can you relate? I just wanted to squeeze those last few minutes of blissful slumber before hitting the day. Dad often said to me, “This is never gonna change, kid until you know your ‘why.’ Ya gotta know WHY you get up and go to work every day. Then, when it gets tough, your WHY will keep you from hitting the snooze again.”
In the performance coaching world, clients are often coached to “find their big Why.” In other words, find that which is universally relevant, but specifically valid only for you. Your “Why” (with a capital W) is what powers and propels you (uniquely and relentlessly) toward your goal. It’s what gets you up in the morning and what keeps you going when you get discouraged or feel like quitting. All due credit to Simon Sinek, The Colonel taught me about this well before it became a mainstream concept. He believed that you have to work “dang hard” to make it in this world, so you had best better:
1) be sure you pick something you enjoy working at and
2) know why you’re working so hard at it.
As I began looking into career options, Dad reminded me that my decisions should involve MORE than just seeking the highest-paying job. Most importantly, it should be about finding “my calling.” Unfortunately, that’s not the typical progression of thought. Most people follow the money trail. They look for the next big promotion with a healthy raise and assume that’s what’s going to make them happy. Now, don’t get me wrong: profit may come from being good at what you do, but unfortunately, I know a great many people making a whole lot of money and hating every minute of it, which prevents them from being significant.
On the other hand, if we are striving for significance – striving to really make a difference in the world, that ONLY comes as a result of WHY we are doing what we’re doing. So… unless that next promotion fulfills your big “Why,” you may find yourself unfulfilled and hitting that snooze button every morning.
Read Lauren’s Whitepaper on The Nine Essentials of Significant Leadership.