Every one of us faces dilemmas in our lives to choose a new path. Some of us thrive on the challenge of taking a new path, but most of us freeze in fear. Remaining on the current path and ignoring the warning signs towards future misery appears more rational than venturing into the unknown and disrupting yourself.
“When the why is clear, the how becomes easy.”
There are two forces at play when you are trying to change. One is pulling you into comfort and away from the pain of disruption. The other is pushing you to grow and become a better you. The problem is, you can’t be comfortable while growing.
What makes disrupting yourself easier? Your “why.”
Whenever you are at odds over a change, you feel you must make and the excuses that you make instead, you have lost sight of your “why.” You will come up with every excuse you can to protect your lack of purpose. By not understanding why you are doing something, you make yourself feel insecure; nobody wants to feel insecure -especially in the face of making a change. It’s amazing how many “how” excuses you will come up with when you are not secure on your “why.” Eventually, you’ll retreat to your comfort zone and feel unfulfilled, uninspired and most importantly, unchanged.
When you need to make a disruption in your life, deeply understand your “why” behind it. Intentionally and honestly question yourself until that “why” becomes your foundation. Don’t allow any “how’s” to slip into your thoughts. When your “why” is set, the “how” becomes so blatantly easy. If your foot is on fire, your “why” is clearly to stop the pain. You don’t try and figure out the “how” beforehand, it’s simple, get your foot out of the campfire!
Finding your “why” is always tricky, but so amazingly powerful
I’ve recently been going through many shifts in my evolution. I am no longer growing from the things that once served as my fertilizer. Writing this blog is one of those things. Once upon a time, my “why” in writing blog posts was quite simple, I need to give away my painful past, and my written words is the best way to do that. But now, here I am healed.
What point is there to keep on writing?
Now, it’s to practice my craft of putting thoughts into word. Until I understood that, writing blog posts became very uninspired and cumbersome… I had drifted from my “why.”
Another significant change in my life has come from my fitness routine. Once upon a time, I exercised every day to deal with my stress and handle my anxieties. I worked out to relieve mental pain. That was my “why,” and it pushed me every day to get in that gym and work hard. But now, I am no longer mentally in pain.
Should I stop working out?
No. I had to find a new “why.” The consequence of working out so much meant that my body became insanely in shape. My “why” now is to not only maintain my fitness but to use my body as my best tool to do great things.
In both examples, my “why” had changed, but I kept on going. And when my “why” changed, so did my “how.” In blogging, I rarely write about my painful past and instead I write on other topics that serve my readers differently.
In my fitness, on top of my high-intensity interval training that I do, I am training four times a week to run my first full marathon, and on top of that, I practice Yoga. Had I not spent the time figuring out my new “why” in both cases, I would have likely stopped working out and writing. I would have come up with many excuses or “hows” to give them up.
Your “why” is never insignificant
If you ask someone why they chose the path they are walking, you would be surprised just how many will not be able to answer that seemingly straightforward question. Focus on understanding your “why” with everything you do. You should never be without a “why,” no matter how weak or insignificant you may feel it is. Even if it may seem insignificant to you, it will be significant to your action. If all you focus on is “how,” you will always convince yourself to remain on the same path you’ve ever followed.