Have you found your why?  Some call it your purpose or vision or what makes you tick?  Why do you do the things you do? This can sometimes be difficult  to think about as we don’t think we have that “something,” but we all do.  I have encountered a lot of women who don’t believe they have a “why” because it isn’t the mainstream “save the world” kind of stuff.  You don’t have to be working on the cure of cancer to have a fabulous why.  Below are two exercises that have worked for me and I know they can work for you too.

Exercise Number 1 – Your 100th birthday party

It is your 100th birthday party and your entire family and all of your friends are there. They all take turns saying things about you and how you’ve lived your life for the past 100 years. What would you want them to say about you and how you’ve lived your life? Be honest and brave and just write what comes to mind and don’t over think it. Whatever it is that you want them to say, you have to start living that life NOW.  

I want people to say that I inspired and empowered women to be their best selves, set purposeful and intentional goals and live their why.  That I tried to be the best spouse, parent and friend.  That I helped women set purposeful and intentional goals and find balance between work and home.  That I motivated them to take risks and reach goals that they didn’t even think possible.  

Exercise Number 2 – Your 20 year old self

Go back to your 20 year old self and think about what you would say to her?  You can have a bunch of fancy degrees and certifications under your belt, but the life experiences are just as invaluable and not to be discounted when discovering you why.  What would you have done or not done?  What decisions would you have made?  Do you have any regrets? This exercise isn’t meant to be a reflection of failure or otherwise, rather a reflection on what you have learned and how you will use that information going forward.

I would have told my  20 year old self to seek out and find women that were trailblazers and ask to shadow them.  I would have told myself that I could be whatever I wanted and really go after it.  I remember talking myself out of doing the hard stuff because I didn’t think I was smart enough.  I know now that I absolutely was.  I would have run for political office in college and been more involved in issues that were important to me. 

The bottom line is this.  We can use our experiences from the the past, along with our goals we set now to determine our why.  It is NEVER too late, no matter your age, to understand what moves us to action.  

Follow me on my Facebook page for more tips, motivation and inspiration to help you reach your goals.

Want to remember this?  Post this “Fear of Creating a Vision Board” to your favorite Pinterest Board!