So you have a burning & yearning to use your gifts to make the world a better space – more inclusive, healthy, safe for all.
You’re a leader, a teacher, a person that’s driven by what’s good for your community.
BUT you may be suffering from brain fog if you don’t have this particular thing in addition to all of your other strengths.
You know you don’t have this particular thing if:
- You waste time going down alleys that end up being blocked
- You make U-turns, much to your consternation, realizing you’ve been here, done that before
- You slow down till you’re barely moving because you’re almost out of gas &/or
- You’re moving so fast your hair is getting caught in your teeth from all that wind & you’re dizzy to boot
You’re feeling frazzled instead of dazzled.
On the other hand you know when you meet someone & you can barely refrain from crying, “ah ha, wow & whoa tell me your secret!”
That person who you want to rest in their shadow – those spaces & places that seem so certain. And I DON’T mean in a smug, arrogant way but in a I-got-it-going-on, I am focused & fierce, I am concise & centred way.
You know those people right? You’re probably thinking of one right now.
So what’s their secret? And more importantly, how can you get some of that good stuff- the focused, fierce, centred certainty?
Lean in close. I’ll tell you.
Those people you admire & want a reprieve by merely standing in their shadow- they know their ‘why’ – they are purpose & mission driven.
They’ve cleared out the flotsam & jetsam so they now have so much ease with which to decide what’s in their wheelhouse & what’s not.
Let’s pause for a sec. Be honest. When was the last time you dithered & dathered, with your knickers in a knot because you couldn’t decide if x was a good thing to focus on, or should you focus on y, but on the other hand you didn’t want to miss out on z?
It’s exhausting. It’s counter productive. And let’s face it knotted knickers are damn uncomfortable.
So let’s get those knots undone so you can put your focus where it matters, where you get results, where you create change in the world.
Start with your why. If you get clear on your why / your mission / your purpose, you’ll be in what I call the slipstream – the zone where your work unfurls with ease (I don’t mean there’s not a lot of heavy lifting work to do, this isn’t Disneyland, but you won’t be fighting the current just to stay in one place).
When you’re clear on your why / your mission / your purpose you’ll be able to tell the wheat from the chaff – the flotsam from the jetsam – the ‘what’s-really-important from the fluff.
Simon Sinek has laid it all out for us. He says ‘people do not buy what you do—they buy why you do it.’ His ‘Find your why’ workbook is a great place to learn how to find your why (his book is great but his workbook is even better).
He goes on to say that most people & companies can articulate WHAT they do & HOW they do it. “But very few can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. This isn’t about making money – that’s a result.
WHY is all about your purpose, cause or belief.
WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed in the morning? And WHY should anyone care?”
Interested to find out your own why? Join me for my September 21st, 10am to noon EAT Learning & Development Roundtable where we’ll do just that, based on the methods in Simon’s book.
The roundtable is my monthly space where we gather as learners & teachers, at the UN in Nairobi AND online via Facebook live. And if that time, 10am to noon, is something god awful in your time zone not to worry, all sessions are recorded so you can view at your leisure.
Bonus: we’ll also look how to craft your own customized multi-media way to motivate yourself after you’ve found your why.
Hope to see you online, September 21.
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