YOUR WHY WORKSHEET Knowing “why” your in business is vital. Your “why” will get you by in the hard times and help you go the extra mile necessary to make success your habit. The following exercises are designed to help you explore your core values and discover what matters most to you. This process works best when you schedule a time free from distractions to work through these three exercises. Please take the time to carefully consider your answers, you will be rewarded for your efforts with a “why” that can serve you to accelerate your success in your business. EXERCISE #1- The “3 movie” exercise Without thinking too much (this is the important part), list your three favorite movies below. #1) #2) #3) As an example, here’s what someone I know put down for theirs: Star Wars Lord of the Rings To Kill a Mockingbird So, what are your three favorite movies of all time? Go ahead and write them down above before proceeding any further. Done? Now, examine your three movies and determine the common theme that runs through each one. In our example above, you have outcasts who’ve overcome their past to absolutely change the world. This statement that serves as a common thread through your favorite movies will closely resemble your passion in life. You’ll be stunned at how closely this hints at your “why”. EXERCISE #2- Your “Last” Day Exercise Take a moment and allow yourself to seriously consider the following scenario: If you just received a phone call informing you that you have only one more day to live and at the end of the day tomorrow, your life will end....... How will you spend that day? What will you do? Where will you go? Who would you talk to and what would you tell them? What can you not leave this world without sharing or teaching? Next, take the time to actually create an itinerary for this day. • When will you get up? • Where/When will you eat? • How will you spend each hour till your very last? This eye opening exercise can provide a glimpse into what really matter most to you when all the distractions of daily life are removed. This process can help you discover what is at the core of your “why”. Now look back over this day you’ve scheduled out and reflect on what you see as the pattern of activities that make up what matters most to you. This will serve to further clarify what contributes to your “why”. EXERCISE #3- Your “Legacy” Exercise This one is my favorite! If money was no object, what would you want to leave the world as your “legacy”? What cause or contribution would you want to specifically be remembered for when your gone? Everyone is different. For some, this will mean doing something for animals or nature and for others it may have more to do with health or the human condition. To keep this on track with finding your “why”, try to be as realistic as possible without venturing too far into “science fiction”. What is the one thing you would want to be your gift to the world when your gone? Take the time to write it out in complete detail, from what it would be to what it would do and how it could serve the world. Putting It All Together These exercises provide a process of considering what matters most to you on three specific levels. First, as an individual with the stories that touch you personally. Second, from the standpoint of what matters most to you in your immediate surroundings, and third, in a much larger sense in how you would want to impact the world. Within the results from these three exercises there will be a thread that you can see that begins to shape the story behind your “why”. For some, it will be standing out as plain as day while others may need to talk through these results with someone else to find this thread and dial in their “why”. If you would like some help working on this process, I am genuinely at your service. I’ve successfully used these tools to help a number of business owners and professionals to gain clarity about their “why” and figure out how to use it to their advantage in their business. Please let me know if I can help you too.