Knowing Your “Why”
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. ~Friedrich Nietzsche
Now that’s well put — I don’t know much about Nietzsche, but this particular quote captures the essence of what I’ve been trying to share with people in my life over the past several weeks. Heck, really, it’s at the essence of a lot of the work I do each and every day, having clients understand the reason behind what they’re striving to do, or what they’re doing.
There can be a temptation — actually, it’s less of a temptation, I think, and more of a tendency — to think about and focus on the “how” of what gets done. There’s sort of a cursory moment spent on why something is being done, and then you quickly move onto the “how”, figuring out the plan of action. What I’m learning and realizing is that no plan of action can be truly effective without a solid anchoring in the “why” — the reasons behind — the plan’s execution.
This morning, as I lay in my oh-so-cozy bed, safe and sheltered from the brisk, cold morning air outside, my wretched alarm went off. Today was a running morning; although my 10 km race is officially completed, my running partner and I have agreed to try and continue running regularly, at least until the snow flies — and maybe even beyond that. This morning, I was regretting having made the commitment, and even tried to convince myself that I could hear rain on the rooftop (we have a standing agreement that we won’t run when it’s raining hard — we’re not that committed to the running, at least not yet!). As I lay there contemplating ways to avoid getting out of bed, I turned my attention to why I had made this commitment in the first place. Having achieved my goal of completing the 10 km this past weekend, and finishing within my set time frame, and experiencing the exhilaration that came with all of that, I agreed with my running partner that it would be a shame to let go of this particular aspect of our schedule now. There’s a way that getting out and running a few times a week fuels us, physically, mentally, emotionally. Plus, we agreed that it would be neat to run another race next year — and so continuing to run now will facilitate easier training for whatever event we choose to focus on. recalling all of this, and aligning it with my very real desire to honour commitments made, I hauled myself out of bed and ran 5 km this morning. In the end, it was invigorating — the initial crispness in the air was soon forgotten as we ran along and enjoyed the clear sky and some great conversation.
The implications for life beyond running is this: you’ve got to know your “why”. And my sense is that, the question is best answered from your heart-space, rather than your brain. When you know “why” you’re doing something, creating something, pursuing something, the “how” flows a bit more naturally; and even when the “how” seems elusive in any way, or when it seems challenging at all, the “why” pulls you through. This, I believe, is what Nietzsche is pointing to.
I was recently sent the following link — it’s not that long a video, but it speaks pretty well to the importance of “why”. Enjoy — and I’ll write again soon. Until then, what’s your “why?”
Stand Your Ground AND Go With The Flow
Seems paradoxical, doesn’t it? I’m not trying to be. It’s just that I’ve had ample opportunity this past week to experiment and play with the idea of standing my ground. As you know, I’m implementing new ideas, launching new products and basically allowing my company to morph in ways never imagined when I started coaching 6 years ago. And what I’ve realized, as I’ve gone with the flow of inspiration, is that when I choose to go with an idea — when I choose to run with a new notion — I’ve got to simultaneously choose to stand my ground and stick with it until it catches the wind and takes off.
Napoleon Hill says that successful people are those who make decisions quickly and change them slowly if at all (or words to that effect). In other words, you’ve got to be open to inspiration, catch hold of the idea as it makes itself known to you, then hold on until you get irrefutable signs that it’s time to let go. You cannot waffle in the face of what appears to be rejection.
Bottom-line: if you’ve got an idea that excites you, go with it. Do what it takes to make it a reality. Be prepared to hold on to your vision, even when it seems to take a while to take root. Eventually, it will, so long as you’re willing to stand your ground. And when it takes root, it will bear fruit, whatever that looks like. I personally am choosing to stand my ground and go with the flow — that is actually what I’m feeling inspired to do.
Derailed or Inspired: What’s Your Response to Failure?
Failure. Whether it’s of grand proportions or small-scale, failure happens to all of us at some time or another. And generally speaking, failure is not the outcome we’re aiming for whenever we engage in a venture, whatever it may be. Whether we’re aiming for it or not, however, failure is generally part of the game. Many of the most sucessful people on the planet will tell you that in order to achieve their successes, they had to travel a path marked with numerous failures. The key to their success — as well as to yours — lies in their response to those failures. Which leads me to get really curious: how do I respond to failure? And how do you?
For many people, failure is the impetus for becoming derailed. I’m sure you’ve had at least one time where you’ve allowed this to be your response. You work really hard for some particular aim, it turns out to elude you, and you give up on the venture altogether. Not uncommon — and certainly not something I’m wanting to judge you for. What I do want to do, however, is invite you to ask yourself, how might you allow that same failure to inspire you rather than derail you? Even if it doesn’t inspire you immediately, what if you could take time to be derailed, and then move into the place of being inspired? What would be possible then?
I’m willing to bet that the aforementioned “succesful people” all have felt derailed at one point or another. I assert that what moved them forward to eventual success is the fact that theymoved from derailed to inspired at some point. They took a look at “what went wrong” and tried to find what could “go right”. Here’s what I want you to consider: failure is not something to be ashamed of, or even something to avoid. There is huge opportunity in failure, if you’re willing to find it. Within that opportunity lies inspiration to keep moving forward. And that inspiration, when you allow yourself to see it, is what will move you to your eventual success.