I first heard this question when Scott Robley with Infusionsoft did a presentation for one Caterina Rando’s Summits. The first time I heard it didn’t really register with me. I mean, I remember him saying it because he talked about his family and showed us some pictures. I think it really was the second time I heard it that it struck a chord for me because it was a question I hadn’t really asked myself.
I discovered something really interesting and I almost feel like it won’t be accepted the way it will come out here. I know the foundation of my why is my family, specifically my husband and my daughter because I want to be able to do what I want to do when I want to with them. But I also know that extends out to my siblings and my nieces and nephew, I want the flexibility to spend time with them when I want to. But the interesting thing that I discovered is that I have a very self-satisfying why, I need to feel needed, I need to feel that someone can’t do something without me, I need to feel like I’m contributing to someone else’s success; that pride is like being a parent watching your child accomplish something you hoped and dreamed for them.
Does that sound selfish? That when I do an event with a client and all the attendees are just buzzing about it and the client made money and created something they could be proud of and I got to be a part of that? That when a client calls me and says “I have tried everything to make this work, can you help me”? and I do. Or when a client says “I really just don’t want to deal with this stuff anymore, can you handle it”? and I do. Does the fact that someone else’s struggles are my why make me a bad person?
I hope not, because I feel like my needs are the missing puzzle piece to their struggles and that’s why it works so well. Ask yourself what your why is and really examine what feeds your drive to do what you do.