How to Find Your Why Power
Have you ever set a New Year’s resolution and found you’ve given up on it by February? Then you need to stop relying on will power and discover your inner why power.
What is your Why Power?
You’ve probably heard of will power. Will power and motivation are things that we are told we need in order to succeed but they are often hard to 1) find and 2) maintain.
You can think of why power as will powers’ stronger, older sister – she beats will power every single time. Why power makes you feel purposeful, driven and creates an emotional connection to your goal that is super strong and durable.
SMART Goals
In the past you may have set yourself a SMART goal. Setting a specific goal can make all the difference between success and failure. But it needs to be exciting enough to inspire you to pursue it, which is where your why power comes in.
A SMART goal needs to be
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Realistic, and
- Time limited
There are dozens of resources available to help you set a SMART goal and it’s important to do that exercise and write it down.
Once you have your SMART goal you can then tap into something deeper to drive motivation and stay on track.
Tapping into your Why Power
To permanently make any kind of change, you have to have a strong emotional reason for doing it. Will power alone is not going to get you to your goal. Will power is like a battery that eventually runs out.
Why power on the other hand is like an endless source of electricity that is always available to recharge your drive. Your deep reasons for wanting to change will be the driving force that propels you. So, let’s learn how to charge up those batteries by using weight loss as an example goal.
This is a goal so many people set for themselves and the reason being is often “to be healthier” or “fit into an outfit” but, the reason needs to be much deeper.
The 5 Why’s Exercise
- Take a piece of paper and write “Why?” on it 5 times.
- Then look back at your SMART goal and focus on your feelings, desires, and the specific results you want.
- Write down WHY you chose that goal?
- Then look at your first WHY and ask why you wrote that?
- Then ask WHY you wrote that second answer?
- Then repeat and ask why you wrote your third and fourth answers to give you your fifth WHY.
This exercise only works if you are truly honest. It may be uncomfortable and you may be embarrassed to admit something but this is what will give you real motivation.
Your final WHY should give a deep and meaningful reason for the goal you set yourself. This can be turned into an impactful why power statement to keep your motivation batteries fully charged.
Here is an example statement for the weight loss goal:
“As a mother and wife, I want to improve my fitness and eat healthy & nutritious food so that I feel confident, strong & agile in order to live a full, happy and fun life that not only my husband and kids are proud of but that I am too.”
How powerful is that?
“Forget about willpower. It’s time for why-power. Your choices are only meaningful when you connect them to your desires and dreams. The wisest and most motivating choices are the ones aligned with that which you identify as your purpose, your core self, and your highest values. You’ve got to want something, and know why you want it, or you’ll end up giving up too easily.” Darren Hardy