You started out with an unimaginably exciting idea, made a plan that you’ve started, and now you’re down in the trenches. It’s not flowing as easily as you had hoped, and some days it’s not even fun anymore.
What happened?
In a previous article I described 6 stages of development: imagining, clarifying, aligning, planning, executing and adapting.
Understanding this sequence is important, but it all gets rather dry without the inspiration of your Big Why. Why are you called to invest time, energy and money in this new idea, this new venture, this new solution to big challenges you are ready to face?
Are you letting yourself be guided by small why’s or your Big Why?
Small why’s come from survival needs and the wound-driven phase of our lives. There is nothing wrong with small why’s; they serve a very important function. When we were young we learned certain strategies to please our caregivers and make it to adulthood. For example, you may work really long hours to please the inner critic who worried that you never did things well enough to please Dad, which gave you the discipline you needed to succeed in business.
However, since small why’s are always old why’s, they can get dry as toast when navigating something more difficult than you’ve faced before. And if you consider yourself a changemaker, you’ll be tackling challenges no one has solved before!
That’s why you need to know and stay in touch with your Big Why, in order to stay inspired long enough to make a difference in the world.
Your Big Why is your passionate purpose, something that calls you from deep within.
How do you stay in contact with your passionate purpose?
The simplest way is to write it down and post it where you can see it every day where you work. For example, “My purpose is to inspire others to awaken through creative self-expression.” or “My mission is to help develop sustainable energy sources for the world.”
Yet even that, a statement or three on a piece of paper, can get stale, because it is not dynamically alive the way you are.
The best way to stay in touch with your Big Why is to grow an ongoing two-way relationship with your own inner guidance. This allows you to have an evolving understanding of your purpose as well as clarity on the best path for executing it.
Don’t let yourself get so caught up in the “getting-it-done” part of making a difference that you lose sight of why it matters to you.
A healthy relationship with your inner wisdom requires the same kind of time and attention as any relationship. It could happen through meditating, journaling, or contemplating in nature. The most important element is commitment to regular contact, and the structures and possible instruction that will allow you the most effective means of making contact.
What steps do you need to take to sustain your connection with your passionate purpose?
