Is Your Why Strong Enough?
Copyright 2006 Jennifer Givler
Why did you start your business?
You must have a very strong reason for being in business. A why
that will keep you going in the face of fear, and keep you
motivated during the trying times in your business. The more
powerful your why, the more of a motivating factor it will be.
Many times, I hear people say, "I started my business because I
love doing this - it's fun." Yes, your business is probably a
lot of fun. But is that enough to keep you going? In other
words, will it be fun when you are up until the wee hours of the
morning finishing a project? To some people that might be the
epitome of fun! But, if "fun" is your why, you need to make sure
that every single aspect of the business is fun for you.
Your why should be very personal, and something that will
inspire you to build your business and keep it going no matter
what.
When I started, my why was "because I want to help business
owners be empowered."
The problem with that was, my why was for someone else. I was
doing this all for someone else. With my why being external,
there was still always a reason to give up, or procrastinate.
After all, I wasn't doing this for me, I was doing it so that
other business owners could benefit. Now, empowering others is
my passion, but I needed a stronger, more personal why.
I had to do this for a reason that I held dear to my heart. My
why for being in business is that I want to have a flexible
schedule so that I can spend time with my daughter whenever I
want. I don't want to miss out on anything while she is growing
up, and being in business for myself is the only way for me to
do that. She is a very strong why for me. Whenever I get
discouraged, or see a long night coming, or fear the next step
in my business, I think about why I'm doing this, and it
inspires me to keep going.
Your why should do the same for you. In the face of frustration,
stress, and fatigue, your why should pull you through and help
give you the strength to keep going. If you find you're giving
up too easily, or your constantly procrastinating and making
excuses, maybe you need to revamp your why.
Let me clarify something; I find helping women extremely
fulfilling. I am very passionate about it. I get an incredible
thrill when I help someone overcome fear, or set a goal and
achieve it. Those things are inspiring to me, and I know beyond
a shadow of a doubt that it's my purpose in life to teach and
help women in this manner. However, I could find a way to do
that while holding down a corporate job. I am choosing to do it
through my own business. My daughter is my why for working for
myself. Why you want to be in business for yourself, and your
purpose in life may be two different things just as I have
described.
Exercise: Finding your why If you already have a strong why for
being in business, this exercise can still help you visualize a
future for your business.
Take out a piece of paper and pen, or open a new document in
your word processing program. Through these exploratory
questions, you are digging deep to find a strong reason to
propel your business forward.
Ask yourself these questions and write down the answers: Why did
I decide to start this business? Is this a strong enough reason
to remain in business? Will this reason keep me going when times
are tough?
If you find that this reason isn't strong enough for you, ask
yourself these questions: Do I love this work enough to keep
building a business for myself? Can I see myself doing this in 5
years? Am I truly passionate about the work I'm doing?
If you answered yes to those questions, answer these: Why is it
that I felt I should start a business? What gave you the spark
of the idea that you should start your business, and what made
you take the plunge and say "I'm going to start a business!"