The Greatest Enemy of Potential is the Absence of Purpose
– Anonymous
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When The Why Is Clear The How Is Easy
A woman who was morbidly obese practically all her adult life and weighed 635lbs at age 42, weighed 167lbs by age 45. When asked what motivated her to embrace 3 years of stringent diet, excruciatingly rigorous exercise routines and a life way out of her comfort zone, she answered, she wanted to see her children graduate.
She wanted to be fit enough to babysit her grandchildren. She wanted to experience the outdoors without having to sit down every 5 minutes to catch a breath.
It is evident from this example that in the first 42 years of her life, she had the ‘potential to be a better version of herself. However, the ‘absence of purpose’ prevented her from making the attempt; achieving the goal being a far cry. Once the ‘Why’ was clear though, she figured out the ‘How’ and eventually marched her way to success.
Why You Need to Make Your ‘Why’ Clear
Humans are not machines. We are perhaps the only beings in the known Universe that dare to ask ‘WHY’.
‘Why’ is the key question that motivates us to put in conscious efforts, time, patience and resources towards goals that we wish to achieve.
However, when the ‘Why’ behind your actions is not clear, your goals become blurry. You don’t understand ‘why you are doing what you are doing’.
Therefore, your energy gets scattered, you put in less time and resources towards achieving your aim, your efforts are diluted, your motivation is shaky and at the end of the day, the outcomes are woeful.
Since when the why is clear the how is easy it is very important to understand why you need to make your ‘WHY’ clear, in the first place. When your Why is clear…
- Your aim becomes clear and you can completely relate to it.
- Your time and efforts are channelled in the right direction.
- You prevent your energy from scattering into meaningless activities / actions.
- You feel more balanced and peaceful in life.
- Your stress levels reduce drastically, you can sleep better, think positive, and have better relationships.
- You progress steadily in your chosen career path.
- You learn to take calculated risks towards your goals and are never threatened by temporary setbacks.
- You feel more in control of your thoughts, actions and unforeseen situations.
How To Make Your ‘Why’ Clear So That Your ‘How’ Becomes Easy
Do you wish to be successful in achieving your aims? Do you wish to find meaning and purpose in life? Do you want your actions to reflect the real ‘YOU’ than a reflection of societal ideas and opinions?
When your actions connect with aims and goals that reflect the ‘real you, your life becomes meaningful under any circumstances, be it good or bad.
Therefore, it is necessary to understand what your aim should be before you embark on a journey towards the same.
Here are 4 great ways to figure out your ‘Goal’ or ‘Purpose’ that will be worth your time, energy, efforts and resources.
Self-Interview in solitude
Your mind can make miracles happen. Take some time off from your everyday schedule, sit in perfect solitude and ask yourself questions that you would otherwise not ask under normal circumstances…
- Are you happy with the current situation you are in, mentally, physically, financially?
- Are you in the right relationship?
- Given a choice, what would you want to change in your life right now?
- Are you always doing what you are told to do or what others do rather than what you are actually keen on doing?
The list can go on and on. Once you start being true to yourself, you will slowly discover your calling. The moment of self-discovery may take a while to achieve, but it is assured that you will experience it.
It is that moment you will realize when the why is clear the how is easy, and your life will pick up the pace and head towards the direction you actually need to be in.
Figure out what you are good at
You may be a fantastic singer but you got an engineering degree instead because your parents felt you needed to have a ‘real’ job to pay your bills.
You may have displayed excellence in tennis but circumstances led you to the insurance industry.
Give and take the number of years you dedicate to ‘your duties’, you eventually forget ‘everything you are good at’ and ‘everything that brings you inner peace’.
I’m not saying that you should stop the job that’s paying your bills but, it is alright to reintroduce the activities that you excelled in, back into your life.
A rekindled spark may light up a whole new pathway leading to a Goal you can truly relate to, motivating you enough to figure out how you can achieve and excel in the same.
Be attentive to what your real friends say about you
‘You write so well; you have excellent storytelling skills’; ‘Your paintings are out-of-the-world! Why don’t you paint more?’; ‘Your practical humour is therapeutic! It can bring anyone out of depression’… You may have come across repeated compliments, remarks and feedbacks like these from people close to you.
Have you ever realized that these may be indications of a worthy purpose in your life? When you feel drawn towards activities that make you and everyone else equally happy, be assured you have discovered the ‘Why’ to fuel your ‘How’.
The Magic of Ikigai
Self-discovery is seldom quantifiable. However, with the art of Ikigai, you can discover your true Goals, understand ‘Why’ it is good for you to give it your time and effort and most importantly, figuring out ‘How’ you can achieve it irrespective of all odds.
In the opinion of experts, Ikigai is one of the best answers to Existential crisis.
Final Thoughts
When your why is clear the how is easy, but there is more to it. On understanding the ‘Why’ you can finally connect with goals and purpose that enrich your inner being.
So, you figure out ways on ‘How’ to scale up your potentials to match these meaningful aims. You may also be motivated enough to dig deeper into your inner self and discover latent attributes in your personality that can fuel the ‘How’ behind your ‘Why’.
Also read: Change Is The Only Constant And Why You Should Embrace It