What Is Your Big Why?

Here’s an interesting exercise…

Consider what has been the main Purpose in the following achievers life?

1. Warren Buffet (one of the wealthiest people in the world, living long, happy and relatively healthy – minus the Cheery Cola addiction – life) – at first, I believe it was a fundamental belief in the way business should operate and through his long-term investment/loyalty approach he supported such business principles. Later in life, he now is doing the same thing for charity – giving nearly everything he has (over a number of years) to the Gates Foundation – again a charity that he fundamentally believes in.

2. Nelson Mandela – his purpose was clearly to take a principled stand against Apartheid

It’s interesting to me that some of the concepts people call a purpose probably are just a stepping stone and actually are not a purpose by themselves –

Example 1. “To be the best I can be” – Why? What if you were the best you can be, so what? What is the purpose behind wanting to be the best you can be? To give yourself the best chance of helping others? To feel happier and more at peace?

Example 2. “To be the best at my career, profession or business?”  Again – why is that?  What is the underlying Purpose in dominating the market with your business or becoming the best at what you do for a living?  Is it money?  Prestige?  The ability to help employ 1000 other people and secure their lives financially?  Or is it something about your business that will contribute to society? 

I don’t propose that we all stop what we are doing right now and not continue until we find our big WHY – or our purpose in life, but do you not agree that most of us are actually living life to AVOID those tough questions?  We work ourselves to death believing that in some way everything will even out in the end — but you could end up in your grave early with thinking like that.

So, what we could do is simply take 20-minutes each day and think about WHY we are here, what we can do with what is left of our life that would be in line with our passions, strengths and that would make us feel great. Use introspection, write about it (start by leaving us a comment against this blog post – that will get you thinking), meditate on it…there really is no down side and potentially you could activate a tremendously positive change in your life beyond anything you have been able to realize to date.