Redefining and Connecting With Your Why
And why that is okay to do.
You know, I’m never one for being all preachy about philosophical ideologies and what not, but this particular concept has stuck to me for the longest time, and while I’m taking my little break, this has been calling out even stronger. It can apply to anything, personal, career, work, passion. There’s just something so universal about it. The Why.
Do you remember your own why? Everyone has a reason for doing something. It could be career, validation, or even simply survival. And does it feel completely aligned to you at this moment? Or do you feel like you may be living someone else’s why? I know, and if a part of you thought to yourself, I actually don’t know, continue reading. Because this isn’t a crisis, where you’re at, is yet another checkpoint in our little game called life. And perhaps, you are outgrowing yourself and are finding new reasons to want to show up.
Picture this.
You’re always busy or keeping yourself occupied, but it’s always just the grind and it almost feels too much of a routine. Perhaps its the 9-5 work life you have, or that set timeframe of needing to get things done. And somewhere along the way, your wins started to feel like they are merely just ticking off boxes and there didn’t seem to be any meaning behind them anymore. And you find yourself thinking: What am I doing? Why am I even putting myself through this? Why do I need to tolerate things that do not align with me?
Yup, that was exactly me a month ago in my job. Lost, filled with anxiety and unable to properly focus because nothing felt right. Then I realised. I’ve lost my Why. And you know, we’ve been sold on this perception that our “why” should be something noble, something big to save the world. But sometimes, your why in that moment, could simply be for you. Your own peace, your calm, your fullness.
Questions I then asked myself:
→ Why am I going through this, and does this align to my own “why” at that moment?
→ What makes me happy without needing any form of validation, that I can happily do every single day?
→ Can I still fully be me in this current state of my environment?
→ Ultimately, what am I trying to prove? What am I even building?
With the reflection, it became clear. This path was no longer for me. And understand this: You’re allowed to outgrow what may have once driven you. To where you are today. It does not need to be your force for the new version that you are creating. Being able to acknowledge this, is a power move in itself. My previous “whys” were geared towards garnering for external validation that I knew what I was doing, ensuring that I had some form of security no matter what (perhaps just ego really), and being able to last longer than anyone else, yes again, back to wanting to feel validated. I’ve completely outgrown that part of me, I just wasn’t listening to me.
Now, my “whys” have evolved. I want to serve, to give back. I am here to help others gain the clarity they need, and to sustain a lifestyle that I can be comfortable, and to truly accept me for me. For the longest time, people have said that I lack focus. I do. I accept that. I have a knack for being multi-passionate and I’m now embracing that side of me 10x without being put down by others.
Here are also some of the change in habits that have allowed myself to realign on my Why that actually feels like mine:
Journaling for self: Prompts such as “3 words of the day”, “I am” affirmations, and “Vision ideation” are now a critical part of my mornings, to set the vibe of the day
Happy scheduling: I identify tasks and actions that give me light, and avoid those that may bring me down. I call this the happy scheduling because I could do them all day, all night
Curiosity peaks: Instead of constantly proving that I know, I’ve reversed it to learning completely new things from scratch, be it AI tools, content growth and more.
Connection: Meeting like-minded folks, gathering new inspiration, and simply reconnecting with the world feels like a new peak
I hope this reminder comes at a timely manner that you don’t need to have the grandest mission to save the world. You just need a reason to take action, move forward with intention. And know that evolving your why is OK - its a breakthrough towards a new version of you.