Finding the Why- a journey of self discovery

Have you ever wondered what your core guiding statement was? Why you are motivated to do what you do all the time and in every case? What your very essence of motivation and behavior is?

This goes deeper than just living a good life, and being a principled person. The “Why” of a person is the very essence of that person’s soul.  This is deeply personal and not just a mission statement. It is the reason for every decision in someone’s life.  Finding the Why is a journey that involves serious soul searching, but results in a life changing, eye-opening experience.

This is a very personal journey I recently experienced thanks to a long car ride alone, at night. I seem to do my best pondering, praying, and meditating when I’m alone in a car. I was driving down a very twisty mountain road way too late at night, and needed something to do to keep myself awake. I had just attended a conference where the speaker discussed the concept of discovering the “why” and the ideas weighed heavily on my mind.

I opened a conversation with Heavenly Father, figuring He’d be best suited to guide me to my “Why”. This was a very powerful and personal experience and took the entire drive to finish. But once I discovered what my “Why” was, it was such an energizing, invigorating, and focusing event. It has truly changed my perspective and focused my actions. Now that I am consciously aware of my core essence, I know myself better and am able to understand decisions I make at a deeper level. I am more conscious of how my decisions reflect my “Why”.

Everyone has a “Why”, and finding it acts like a good camera lens. When the lens is focused tightly on a flower, all the colors, textures, and details are visible. Finding the “Why” does the same thing for someone’s life.

The process of finding the “Why” is very personal. It takes contemplation, meditation, and time.

It’s worth the effort to find someone to tend children, and to find a quiet, peaceful place where you can meditate, ponder, and think. Then ask a simple question: “Why do I do everything that I do?”

Be prepared to find what you think is your “Why”, but not quite. I started with one version of my “Why”, but it wasn’t quite right. It was still too superficial. So, I started thinking deeper about that statement. Thinking about the why behind the first statement will lead to the next. This process of delving into the motivation behind the statements will create the actual true “Why”.  Remember, for the “Why” to be the “Why”, it must be the motivation for everything in your life. If you can find an “except for”, then you haven’t reached the “Why” yet.  

The answer is in you. It may be hard to find. If you pray, I’d encourage praying while you are searching. Once you find it, it will ring true so loudly your whole soul will know it is true. Once you vocalize it, you will feel it and your body will recognize the truth you just spoke. It takes removing barriers, and going deep into your innermost self, the part of you that you may hide even from yourself.

Finding the “Why” changes everything in life. It is an amazing and personal journey. It can be a hard journey, but like everything that is hard, it is worth it in the end. I started on this journey after hearing a speaker, Simon Sinek. He has developed the Why Discovery Course to help people discover their “Why”.  If you want to find out more about the program the website is www.startwithwhy.com. My journey didn’t include using the program, but yours may. Each journey is personal, and there’s no one “right” way to do it.