The Power of Why

Back in March my wise and dear sister encouraged me to watch Simon Sinek’s inspiring TEDx talk, “Start with Why.”

I am so thankful she did. At the time I was floundering around in my business like a fish that’s stayed too long in the shallow water as the tide recedes. I was having trouble connecting to the current of where I wanted to go.I was beyond frustrated—I wanted to be connecting with all you lovely colorful people who, like me, want to live in ways that honor and delight the soul.

“People don’t buy what you do, people buy why you do it.” ~ Simon Sinek

Simon posits that why you do what you do is connected to what you believe is most precious, valuable, and important in life.

Once I was able to clarify what I believe about my coaching practice and why I believe it’s valuable, then connecting the dots of my business “what” became almost effortless.

You may be wondering why I’m sharing this with you—especially if you don’t have a business that you’re trying to get clear on. The reason I’m sharing is that I believe understanding what’s important to you and what you value helps you to make supportive choices and then take actions that are in alignment with your soul’s purpose and desires.

The “take action” part is just as important as the knowing what you believe part—even if the action to be taken in any given moment is a “non-action” like resting or letting something be.

Best of all, it feels good to have your beliefs and actions in alignment—and what’s better than that?! Here’s a snippet of what I discovered about my “whys” and what I believe:

I believe sharing the gift of who we are with the world is a blessing.

I believe our mind, body, and spirit are all connected and work together: they all need tending.

I believe when you follow what delights your soul the world expands.

I believe boundaries are important: they create a safe container for us to move and create in the world.

I believe the experience of being alive is about honoring who we are—including our full range of emotions and experiences.

I believe connecting with nature and animal symbolism is a fun way to trigger and channel helpful insights.

I believe when we follow our truth it sets us free—and our truth isn’t static; it can shift and change.

I believe our bodies and emotions have a tremendous amount of information that can help us to make decisions that reflect our values.

I believe in being open and curious about new possibilities.

I believe love is everywhere.

Getting clear has made it easier for me to reach and connect with like-minded people. It’s also helped me to see that I needed to show up in ways that truly reflect what inspires me.

What are your “whys”?

Why do you believe what you do?

Why do you believe certain values are important to living a soulful life?

I’ll give you a little tip about connecting with your true values. Notice how you feel in your body when you connect to each value you list. If you feel free, open, and expansive when you connect to one, then it’s most likely a true value. If you feel tense, tight, and constricted when you connect to a value, then it’s most likely not a true value.

Sometimes we adopt values that society, our parents, and/or our friends say are good or “right” and we never check to see if they are really important and valuable to our soul. Have fun exploring and feel free to share what you notice here, or send me a note if you have any questions.