Define Your WHY

In my SMART Goal Workbook I call this your PURPOSE STATEMENT, and it’s the single most important part of articulating your goals.

Your Purpose Statement, or your WHY, the reason behind why you want to achieve this goal, is the driving force that will keep you motivated, encouraged, and empowered to keep going when things get hard. Your goals should stretch you. And by stretch you, I mean that they seem like they’re nearly impossible to accomplish and if you actually DO accomplish that goal it will be a miracle. That's how a big hairy goal feels. If you don’t feel this way when you set your goals, you may be playing too small. Big goals like this, the ones that seem nearly impossible, can make you doubt yourself or can feel overwhelming. Deep down, you know you can do it, but big scary goals aren’t for the faint of heart.

Your Purpose Statement, your WHY, will act as your backbone when you feel like quitting: You must have this foundation in place when working toward your goals. Your WHY, your purpose statement, is the thing that will remind you why you started this in the first place.

Without defining your WHY, it’s pointless.

Spend a large chunk of distraction free time thinking about and chewing on the purpose for your goals. You may find that they’re not in line with your Mission, Vision and Values. You may find that this isn’t the right time to try and tackle that goal. You may find that your goal isn’t big enough, and that you need to serve your market in a bigger, bolder way!

I encourage you to give yourself ample time to think these things out, write them down, and confidently take action toward your biggest dreams.

“A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.”
- Greg Reid