Start With Why

We are 21 days into 2019. This is probably the time most of us start to lose the excitement of the new year and our list of goals and resolutions start to fall to the wayside. If you’re like me, just three weeks ago I was full of hope and plans for the brand-new year. And as the days pass and that “newness” of the year begins to fade, I am determined to keep my goals for the year in the front of my mind. I want to stay motivated to make this year great.

I decided that my first book of the year, based on the title alone, would be one that has been sitting on my shelf for some time: Start with Why by Simon Sinek. I believe that identifying your motivation and reasoning behind setting a goal will help you stay the course. I did not realize, however, that this book would be much more business-focused rather than more psychologically driven.While this book wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea, it did have some gems that I will take forward. For instance, Sinek explains the “Golden Circle.” This idea illustrates that the ‘why’ is the driving force behind our choices – before the ‘how’ and ‘what’ come into play.

According to Sinek, knowing and understanding your ‘why’ is how you will achieve lasting success. It is important to look at what you’ve laid out for your year and ask yourself WHY.

– What is your motivation behind your goal?

– How will reaching this goal change your life?

– How will you feel when you achieve it?

– What habits/processes do you need to start/stop/continue to make your goal achievable?

– What things do you need to put in place in order to reach it?

– What things do you need to avoid – and how will you do that?

Once you have answered these questions you should have a very clear vision of why you want to achieve this goal, and how you will do it. Really take your time and dive deep. The more detailed you can get, the easier it should be to stay consistent when you’re working towards the goal. Clarity is so important.

I often list a ton of goals and then tend to lose sight of them and drop some, if not all. Looking back, I do see a correlation to not zoning in on the motivation behind my goal and setting up a plan of action. This year, I’ve approached my goals in a different manner. Some goals I have are very specific and recurring – I’d like to do them daily or many times a month. For this I downloaded a Habit Tracker sheet. I printed it out for 12 months and filled out January’s habit goals. At the end of each day, I sit down and record which I’ve done or haven’t done. My hope is that at the end of each month, I can review and see what needs tweaking and what is going well. I’ll leave a link for that habit tracker here, in case you’re interested in trying it out.

I know that an easy answer to “why are you setting this goal?” is “it will make me happy.” But try to dive deeper than that. Will reading 52 books a year really make you happy? Will losing 15 pounds? Will eating healthier? Will going to the gym? I can’t answer that for you. Maybe it will, or maybe you’ll be forcing yourself to do something because you’re more focused on other’s thoughts or perceptions about you. You know this better than anyone. All I ask is to really think about the WHY.

Remember, the excitement of the new year fades. Next thing we know it will be the end of summer and our new year’s resolutions will be long forgotten. Let’s work to change that. Don’t lose sight of the goals you choose. You chose them for a reason. Find that reason – find your why. Then figure out how you’ll execute it. Don’t give up. Work to make 2019 the best it can be. You’re worth it!

If you have any comments or suggestions for goal setting/planning/executing, please share them below! Let’s help each other grow.