CORE IDEA:
There are three types of WHYs: past-based, present-based, and future-oriented. By identifying where your motivation stems from, you can boost your energy and productivity. This approach can help you, especially as a female entrepreneur, to align your daily actions with your true motivations and achieve your goals.
I was fed up with the ‘find your WHY’ concept. I couldn’t stand to hear it repeated by every expert in the area of self-improvement. You might think it sounds interesting coming from a coach, wouldn’t you? Well, I’m not easily excited by all that trendy stuff.
However, I have always had some issues with motivation. I went through all the hoops (I mean, steps) of this or that motivation-awakening system (yes, the “find your WHY” was one of the exercises), did all the work, but… Thinking about a better, more fulfilling future, about how I would feel when I reach my goals, didn’t really excite me. I couldn’t even apply the futurecasting technique, a standard tool in my own coaching toolbox, where you imagine yourself at where you want to be in five-to-ten years, a technique I’m able to successfully use with some of my clients.
For as long as I remember, I have always had a problem finding consistent motivation. I didn’t have any issues with being motivated “in the moment” but, when the passion subsided, I would lose my steam and become disinterested. The “find your WHY and follow it” idea never resonated with me, even if I pushed myself to follow its basic premises. I even started thinking: “Is there no cure for me? Am I motivation-proof?”
Exploring Three Types of WHYs
And then, an interesting thing happened. One day, after a week-or-so-long session of self-work, which involved lots of inner work and multiple personality and strengths tests, I realized that I was becoming unusually energized. I was not only waking up full of energy to attack the day, but I was also keeping most of this uplifting feeling throughout the day. My motivation wasn’t wearing out, like it did with most of my passion projects; it was making me stronger from the inside.
Being a curious person, I decided to put my assumptions to the test. I made a list of all my personality traits, heavily edited it for clarity and actionability, and started reading them daily, like you’d do with an affirmation. To measure the results, I tracked my energy levels and the number of checkmarks on my task lists.
Here is what I observed:
- I had more energy, and I was staying energized throughout the day (with natural ebbs & flows due to my circadian rhythm).
- I was waking up full of ideas on how to use my strengths for working on and reaching my goals.
- The list of the tasks I was checking off changed significantly — I worked on what really mattered!
I discovered the reason for the process of looking for my WHY, my motivation, never working for me. I was doing it all wrong! My WHY doesn’t come from my past experiences, nor does it stem from my goals for my future. I have a present-based WHY: I tend to search for answers to the “who am I?” question and, after finding one that resonates with me, I act based on that answer.
By exploring past, present, and future-oriented motivations, you can unlock the key to sustained personal growth and fulfillment.
I believe that there are 3 types of why:
- The WHY that is rooted in the past — “I went through something so now I do (this)”
- The present-based WHY — “I am (this), so I do (that)”
- The future-oriented WHY — “I want to become/do/have (this) so I do (that)
After pouring through some of the popular frameworks of human motivation — like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory — I came up with a following visualization of my theory:
Considering our physiological, safety, love & belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization needs (Maslow) and looking at them through the perspective of autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Deci & Ryan), I’ve come up with the common motivators as they would apply to you, a female entrepreneur, and placed them according to where they might surface from on the timeline of your life.
Practical Steps for Harnessing Your WHY for Personal and Professional Success
What does this mean for you, and how can it help you boost your motivation?
1. Identify Where To Look For Your True Motivation
Use the categories from the diagram above (Experiences, Identity, Aspirations, etc.) to get an idea on where to dig deeper into the source of your motivation.
The questions you can ask yourself:
- Was there a significant event you went through in your past that influences what you love to do today? —> WHY in the past
- Do you feel a constant urge to search for the answers to who you are and what your purpose in life is? —> present WHY
- Have you been dreaming about a specific outcome in the future, a goal you are trying to reach, or a legacy you want to leave? —> future WHY
2. Confirm The Source Of Your Motivation through Daily Actions
- Reflect daily on your actions: What have you been doing that was really “you”, that made you feel true to yourself? What was your motivation behind it?
- Reconcile your findings with the results from your work in Step 1. Were you right? If not exactly, then rinse and repeat from the top. If yes, then make use of your new findings!
3. Cultivate Your WHY for Sustainable Growth
All that work would be for nothing if you can’t use it to grow your motivation! Now that you’re clear on why you do what you do, intensify acting from that area and observe the results.
