Remember why you started

 

Many times we start with very grand ambitions and for the first few moments, days, weeks or months depending on what timeframe we are working with things can go really well. However as we continue, inevitably curveballs are thrown at us. If we are not careful, they can be the end of us. However if we navigate carefully through them, we come out stronger on the other side and are left wondering how we made it through. One of the tools you can make use of at this time, is the memory of why you started. You need to develop a strong ‘why’ for what you are doing. If your why is weak, you will quit at the first signs of trouble. If it is strong on the other hand, you will keep plugging away until you overcome. The O.G’s have also indicated that when your why is strong enough, the how kind of takes care of itself.

You gotta ask yourself, who will benefit if I hang in there? Who will lose if I quit now? How significant is what I am doing beyond my own needs and preferences. Your why needs to go deeper than mere self -gratification. It must look beyond your own affairs’. You give yourself added impetus when you understand that what you do goes way beyond you to touch many others.

I propose that you should never start on any endeavor before you clarify your ‘why.’ The struggle to keep going becomes a thing of the past when you are clear on your why. A strong why will blast through walls of iron and sweep everything in its wake.

You must become deliberate in reminding yourself why you started. Grant Cardone in his wonderful book The 10X Rule says that if your goals are important enough, you write them down every single day. I believe that this act of writing among many other reasons serves as a reminder of what you are pushing towards and why it must be done.

We see the example of Jesus who endured the cross, despising the shame and went through some of the most humiliating and dehumanizing experiences culminating in death by crucifixion. The scriptures conclude that it was for a reason. It was for the joy that was set before him. When he thought about what the humiliation and shame would accomplish, he was ready to go through it all. The description of what he went through as we see it in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 is as gross as it can get. Courtesy of coming face to face with the reality of his imminent death, His human nature kicked in and he prayed that the cup of suffering would pass on from Him. Despite this, He had enough presence of mind to submit himself to the will of God. He remembered that the eternity of many souls was dependent on his death on the cross. Such a why was too strong for Him to quit. Because of this, He was able to brush aside the mockery of those who reviled Him even while he hung on the cross to die for their sin. In essence, he had every reason to quit yet He stayed the course and found victory.

A strong why eliminates excuses and sets you on the path to accomplishment. You get to a point where the cost of your excuses is too great a burden to bear that you choose to push through the resistance. Oftentimes we accomplish great feats not because we wake up every day feeling charged and energized to go out there and get it done. Sometimes we have to fight our own demons, we have to rise above the resistance of our bodies, we have to gather our thoughts and remind ourselves that what needs to be done must get done.

Every day when you wake up, make a habit of reminding yourself why you are up. See to it that your mission remains at the forefront of your mind. When its dark and you can’t see two steps ahead of you, remind yourself that a lot hinges on how you act today.

Your why must be personal. If you rely only on someone else’s why, you are going to run out of steam at some point. Whether you work under a boss or you are under the care of your parents, at some point you need to cultivate your own why for doing what you are asked to do. Without this personal driving force, you won’t last long in the game. Before you know it, you will be at breaking point because you are driven by someone else’s why.

I know you enjoyed this and found it insightful, The next logical step is for you to Subscribe to have more of the same sent straight to your inbox. 

You can also join me for Zoom sessions every Monday 8-9 PM EAT for enriching discussions and interviews. 

Take a look at the preview of my  book Blessed to be a Blessing right here. 

amazon.com/author/samuelmwinamo 

Photo Credit: publicspendingforum.net