By Lesley Timbol
What makes you get up in the morning? I’m not talking about your alarm. What drives you? What motivates you?
Why is it important you know your why? It’s because if you want a life of happiness, fulfillment and success, you must find your purpose, aka your why.
Without knowing your purpose, you won’t know what drives you, what keeps you going in the tough times, what inspires you to improve.
When life throws you a curveball, when you’re met with an unexpected and intimidating obstacle, when nothing seems to be going “right”, when support can’t be found, when you make mistakes, when you feel overwhelmed, then what?
Your why will give you strength even when you feel like you don’t have the strength to get up anymore. Your why will give you the push and courage to do what’s uncomfortable.
Your why will help you face your fears and unknowns.
As an athlete, what makes you different from your competitors? What sets you apart from them? Why are you so important?
Your why helps define who you are and gives you a sense of your purpose in this stage of your life.
Somebody is waiting for you to mess up, to give up, to fail. Your why is your mental weapon against the “haters”, the “trolls”. Your why will help you fight when the doubters think you’re “out for the count”. Remember your reason, your why so it can drive you.
You don’t have to be an athlete to have a purpose. Is your purpose your family? Is it to prove someone wrong? Is it to prove yourself right? Is it to inspire others in similar situations?
Write down your purpose. Carry it with you. Say it out loud. Breathe that message into your body. Commit to yourself that you will live out your purpose with zero excuses.
What if you fall? What if you make a mistake and get off track? The true mistake is staying off track. What did you learn from that experience? That’s a lesson learned. Now dust yourself off and get back on track.
So the next time life challenges you, what are you going to do? Are you going to give up? Or will you make the moves to be successful?
Avoid looking back but rather remember where you came from and then focus on where and what you aspire to be. Recall your why.
If you don’t have a why yet, find something now that drives you. Something that no matter what happens, this why part of you doesn’t change. The drive doesn’t change. Your purpose doesn’t change.
Your purpose is something that lights a fire in you. It’s something you can be passionate about.
Some things in life you can’t change; you just have to live with it. But if you do have a choice, allow your purpose to help you make the right choice.
