Health & Family Finding your "Why"

I’ve recently been doing a bit of reading on the power of operating from a position of your deepest “why”, and I think it can really help with anyone trying to make some positive changes to both their health or their finances.

We are all investors here, so it goes without saying we all want to live long healthy lives so we can maximise that compound interest and still be healthy enough to enjoy the returns. However, sometimes temptation arrives in the form of a perfectly cooked Chicken Parmi, a tender juicy chicken breast surrounded by a breadcrumb forcefield of spun gold, resting under a dedicate layer of ham, rich Napoli sauce and of course, a final topping of cheese: soft and creamy throughout with a light tan layer of grilled perfection. To top it off you can wash down this miracle of culinary creation with 4 pints and tall tales with mates. When this occurs you might need something more to keep you on the straight and narrow.

(Disclaimer: DO NOT remove Chicken Parmi’s and pints from your life, you may end up sad and alone, the difference here is indulging when you want to, instead of whenever the opportunity arises)

An easy exercise for finding your why is to simply keep asking the question. When you get 5-7 layers deep is where you are going to find the real gold.

Take going to the gym as an example:

WHY am I going to the gym: Because I want to get healthier and feel good
This layer is okay, but a Parmi and Pint make you feel pretty bloody good too and the gratification is instant. Time to go deeper!

WHY: So I can be more active and energetic throughout the day

WHY: So I can have the energy to play with my kids

WHY: Because I want to have a good relationship with them

WHY: Because they are the most important thing in the world to me

By going just 5 layers deep we were able to tie a fairly bland goal to the most important thing on this little blue ball we call home. At this level you will be operating from your heart, not your head and the results will be much deeper, authentic and powerful.

If you go through this process and are radically honest with yourself, you may make some real breakthroughs. You will be able to operate from a place of deep conviction, rather than relying on willpower which studies have repeatedly shown really isn’t that powerful.

So I challenge you all to give it a go and if you’re brave enough, share with the class!

Ryan

 

You hit the nail on the head. It's why so many fail to reach their larger goals . Their 'why' is no where near compelling enough to keep them motivated and focused long enough to achieve their dreams in life. The example you give is refering to anchoring your goal to multiple emotions to strengthen your 'why' and its 1 good technique.

I've realised many ppl dont believe or are quite ignorant in not understanding the role psychology plays in determining just how successful we all will be. I've always believed with success , mindset/personal philosophy is 70% and the knowledge/doing is 30%. The former is laying the strong foundation for the latter.

 

Hello Ryan!
Welcome to the forum.
That was a nice piece of writing in your post.
Can you tell me if there is anything specific you were reading to get that insight? Also, it would be awesome if you can write an intro post about yourself.

In regards to "5 whys" - Via work I know this as a productivity technique. It's used in a very different way to what you described though, being a techique to determine a root cause.

I suppose one way to see it is if you were a doctor and seeing all the signs and symptoms.... you wouldn't just treat the symptoms, because often there is a deeper underlying root cause. Treat the root cause and all the symptoms will go away.

But, your example linking it to a deep conviction and emotion as @Leo2413 said.... wow, powerful. You'll end up with lots of reasons why going to the gym is beneficial, but tying it to "because I love my kids and want to be able to play with them and see them grow up"... that's massive.

Anyway, this is a little different and I've posted it before, but I love this image... it can be used it to help figure out what to do, job wise. I love the "what does the world need" question and matching it with "what you love", "what you can be paid for" and "what you are good at" questions... love the concept "ikigai" - a reason for being .
If you have a job that doesn't tick all those boxes for you, then you won't feel fulfilled in life.

 

Hi Gockie!

The concept first popped up in a throwaway line by Tony Robbins on the James Altucher Show podcast. To paraphrase:
“How is not as important as what and why, if you know what and why you’ll figure out how. How is where the brain starts and fear kicks in. Reasons come first and answers come second. If you have a big enough why you can figure out how to do anything”

I recently attended a conference at which Shawn Achor was a speaker, his keynote was followed by a standing ovation by all 500 people in the room, so needless to say I started reading his book "The happiness Advantage." I've always been a believer in the power of positive psychology but to me a lot of the info on it is kind of a wishy-washy surface level approach. As a Harvard Researcher, his quantified approach to explaining the results really spoke to the engineer in me.

I've also used the 5 whys frequently as a trouble shooting technique, but recently saw it used in the method I did in a blog post which I'll try and track down.

I love that concept of "Ikigai", I've never seen it before but it definitely relates to the direction I'm trying to move in at the moment.

I didn't see the Introduction Sub Forum, I'll get onto that ASAP Looking forward to being an active member of the forum!

 

Why? I am reading book by Simon Sinek "Start with Why".
Fantastic read. With good case studies. Why Apple powers on and Dell didn't. Why MalcomX and Kennedy inspired, and others dont.

So much, i searched the forums to read of others "why"- and my search came up thin.

Ryan's - 5 Whys - yes great approach.
Ikigai - great too
thanks for sharing all.