What is your why? (5 real examples to help you find yours) (2023)

My personal statement of “why” in life is to take all that I've been given and make the most positive impact on the world possible. But what is a "why" statement? How can you find your own "why" in life?

You need to find and define your personal "why" in life. Everyone has a deep motivation that drives their life in general. If you keep asking yourself why you do the things you do, you will eventually discover your own "why" in life.

This article will show you how to find your personal "why". I've included practical tips and lots of examples from others. After reading this article you will know exactly how to find your "why".

What is a "why" in life?

What is your "why" in life?

This question is very common, but it makes you think about what you really want out of life. How do you discover what your "why" is in life? Ask as many questions as possible:

• Why do I do this?
• Why do I value this over this?
• Why am I not happy when X happens?
• Why am I stressed right now?

If you keep asking yourself these questions, chances are you'll end up with the same answer. That answer is almost always your “why” in life. This is the reason that drives you forward in life.

The reason you're not happy right now is because your situation doesn't line up with your "why".

Common answers to these "why" questions are usually a variation or combination of the following:

• take care of my family
• Success.
• Leave a legacy.
• feel-be loved
• Have a positive impact on the lives of others.
• Fortuna.

As you read this, you're probably thinking, "I want everything you just said!" And without thinking about this question further, you can plan your life to be a successful, wealthy person with a tremendous positive impact on the world.

Because that sounds like a good reason to be alive, right?

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Find your "why" in life

So how do you find your “why” in life? Here's how you can't find it:

• Sitting in a chair by the window waiting for someone to tell you what your "why" is.
• With a "Eureka!" Time.
• Copying someone else's "why" in life.

No Finding your personal “why” in life requires you to really pick up the shovel and dig deep into your conscious mind. how do you start digging? Asking him the questions I listed above.

Here is an example:

A: Why am I so stressed all the time?

Q: Because my job stresses me out.

Q: Why do I work from 7 am to 4 pm every day?

A: Because I need money to do the things I value most.

What do these answers show me? That my "career" has absolutely nothing to do with my "why" in life. I only work because the money allows me to do the things I value most. Let's continue.

Q: What do I value most?

AN:To live a happy lifeand being around people I can have positive interactions with.

Okay, so this is getting more existential, isn't it? Your "why" in life is usually not tied to a single factor in your life (like a career, a hobby, or a single good cause). It's usually bigger than that.

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Let's continue.

Q: Why do I want one?positive impact not world?

A: Because they gave me a chance at life that few people have (good parenting, basic needs, family, health, education). I don't just wanttake it for granted. I want to take this opportunity to give something back to the world.

Oh. Here we are. That's a "why" statement I can be personally comfortable with. With just 3 questions, I got to the bottom of my "why", which shows me what drives me to do the things I do in life.

Examples of business “why” statements

The "why" statement has become very popular since the bookStart with Why by Simon Sinekbecame a worldwide bestseller.

This book explores the importance of "why" statements in the corporate world and how leaders can inspire more people to do the same by starting with the "why?" question.

The bottom line is that everything you do, whether you are a company or an individual, must have the same logic. So if someone were to start questioning your actions (why are you doing this? why this? why that?), you would ideally end up returning to your main "why".

Since "why" statements are already very common in companies, I decided to include some well-known examples here. Personal "why" statements are even rarer, but reading these examples might inspire you to reconsider your own versions!

• Our aim is to challenge the status quo. Our aim is to think differently. -Litter
• To connect millions of real-life people around the world through a community marketplace so you can belong anywhere. -airbnb
• Empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. -Microsoft
• Organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. -Google

Finding your personal “why” is important

A "why" statement is often used in the corporate world, but why is it important to also identify your own "why" statement?

Because you are more likely to be happier when you live a life that fits your life purpose. We wrote a full article.in this topic here.

We've already covered this topic.a big surveyrecently and found that 34% of people associate their purpose in life with their happiness.

Othersinteresting studyfollowed 136,000 people for about 7 years and came to the revealing conclusion:

The analysis showed a lower risk of death for participants with high life purpose. After adjusting for other factors, mortality was about one-fifth lower in participants who reported high levels of goal awareness.

The meaning of life and its relationship with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events: a meta-analysis

So it's clear that finding your "why" in life is important and conducive to your happiness. But how do you like yours?

Define your personal “why” in life

You can't go around copying and pasting someone else's "why" and expecting yourself to be happy doing the same things.

No, you have to define your own “why” in life.

as much asHappiness is unique to each person, the “why” differs from person to person.

Richard Branson's "why" in life can be"Have fun on my journey through life and learn from my mistakes"while your personal "why" may simply be to provide the best life for your family and children.

Copying and pasting the "why" of someone you respect and admire is likely to leave you unhappy and dissatisfied. For example, I think Richard Branson does amazing things, but I wouldn't be happy if I were in his shoes. My own "why" is very different from yours!

I have defined my own purpose in life and I encourage you to do the same!

Examples of personal "why" statements in life

While you must define your own "why" in life, it's still interesting to read about other people's statements. That's why I asked for sample personal "why" statements to be included in this article.

I don't want you to copy and paste these "why" statements and make them your own. I just want to show you how diverse these statements can be!

Here are real examples of personal "why" statements from the people I asked!

This personal statement of "why" comes from David Jacobson, president ofHorizon des Humors. I think this is a great example of how easy it can be to make a personal "why" statement in life.

My why is sharing the power of therapeutic humor with others. Humor changed my life. It has allowed me to deal with chronic pain and severe arthritis. I was able to complete a 50-mile unicycle fundraising ride, which I partially attribute to my sense of humor helping me cope. I've written a book about the mood habits I use to deal with it, and I'm now starting a research project to use positive rather than negative depression tests (how happy or sad you are, etc.). My sense of humor is my source of happiness!

"My why is helping people be more connected in their lives, careers and businesses."

This “why” statement is by Beth Bridges and shows how a single life event can solidify your purpose in life. Beth is a writer specializing in the power of networks. He also runs The Networking Motivator, a website aboutSharing networking strategies with others.

This is how she defines her “why” in life.

My motive is to help people be more connected in their lives, careers and businesses. A year and a half ago, my husband of 17 years had a massive heart attack and was gone within minutes. What saved my sanity? To friends and business partners who were happy to help me with small and big things. Without that fellowship, I would be lost in despair and sadness. Now I want to make sure everyone has the tools and knowledge to build their own community so they can survive whatever life throws at them.

"Strive to be the best version of myself to know that my mother is smiling at me."

This personal statement of "why" comes fromcolby oste, which tells a very moving story about how a life event can affect your "why". I think this is a great example of how you can be encouraged to be the best you can be by defining a rationale, otherwise known as your "why".

I lost my mother on March 14, 2017 to alcohol abuse, the extent of which I didn't know until it was too late. It took me about 2 years to realize that I needed to make a change in my life to become the person I know I wanted myself to be. Almost 4 months ago I decided to work smarter AND harder and "spread my wings" a little. I stopped drinking, became so committed to health and wellness that I reduced my body fat percentage to around 5%, all while adding 3 (soon to be 4) streams of income to my life. While it's far from over and I'll probably never be satisfied, I will continue to strive to be the best version of myself to know that my mother smiles at me 100%.

"I left the world better than I found it and will be remembered by the people whose lives I touched as a force for good in their lives."

This is from Paige, who I find to be a very inspiring example. “Leave the world better than I found it” is a goal as simple as it is powerful. Paige founded a global branding and marketing company calledexperts and tycoons- 18 years ago. She has been happily married for 27 years, has a close circle of friends, nieces, nephews and godchildren.

She says:

I just want to leave the world better than I found it and be remembered by the people whose lives I touched as a force for good in their lives.

I've lost 7 people very close to me in 6 years and I know firsthand that nobody wants to work harder, earn more money or win more prizes on their deathbed. They just want to be with the ones they love the most and tell them they matter. I often think about these people and the role they played in my life. I want to be remembered because I gave the best of myself to others so that somehow their lives would be better and happier because I was part of them.

I hope these examples of personal "why" statements inspire you to reconsider your own. What is the fundamental engine of your life?

Here is my personal answer.

What is my personal "why" in life?

Here's a short version of my personal "why" statement:

"To make it count."

To explain what that means, I have to go back in time. In fact, I have to dig through my happiness journals.

On July 17, 2014, I wrote a journal entry that ended up going off topic and complaining about how lucky I was. I wrote this:

"Seriously, I've been very lucky in my life so far. I have great parents and financial security. As a result, I've gotten a solid education, friends, security, hobbies, and I can move around easily. I haven't had any major setbacks in my life so far.

It makes me wonder: am I worth it? Do I really deserve all these things? More importantly, how can I be sure I really deserve everything I've had?

Just appreciating what I have is definitely NOT enough. No way. I want to give something back to my parents and make them happy. I want to help other people the same way they helped me in the past. Most importantly, I want to have a positive impact on the world.

Now that I think about it, I need to be the best version of myself that I can be. I have to use my full potential.

But what is my potential? I believe that I can potentially do many good things in my life. I'm smart, physically fit and mentally healthy (I think). But why? Because I've been very lucky in the past. My luck has presented me with many potential opportunities, and if I want to "make it up", I need to make sure I don't waste those opportunities. There are people with fewer opportunities (ie, less fortunate) who still manage to make an incredible impact on the world by realizing their full potential. I have to do the same I have to be worth it.

I eat?

• Giving my "happiness" to others as much as I can.
• Paying for it in advance.
• Not wasting my opportunities.
• I appreciate everything I have and I don't take it for granted.
• Be the best person I can.

I don't believe in karma, but if I do, it basically comes down to accumulating as much positive karma as possible. That's how worthwhile I can be."

Even though I wrote this years ago, it's still exactly how I feel about my life. At the time I didn't care what I said. Instead, I just wrote down every thought that came to mind.

But now, after giving it a little more time, I've redefined my personal "why" in life like this:

To be worthy of all that I have been given and to have the greatest positive impact on the world.

💡by the way: If you want to feel better and more productive, here's information from 100 of our articles combined into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet.👇

Download our FREE mental self-care cheat sheet!

Thrive under stress and reach your goals with these 10 instant mental health tips.

Download the FREE cheat sheet here

Fim

Here we go. There are many different reasons for doing the things you do in life, but they generally follow the same basic driving force. If someone starts to question your actions (why are you doing this? Hopefully, by the time you've made it to the end of this article, you'll know how to define your personal "why" statement.

I would love to hear from you now! What is your "why" in life? What makes you do the things you do every day when you really think about it? Let's share more examples in the comments below!