Finding Your Why

Here at Guts and Braun, we believe finding the why for doing something is key to success in life. Not only is this key in developing a plan to achieve a goal, but it is a necessity when encountering tough obstacles along the journey. According to Simon Sinek, “We all know what we do, some know how we do it, but very few know why we do what we do.” (Sinek, 2018). This is important to understand because if the majority of people and organizations around the world don’t understand why they do something they will easily get discouraged when tough times come. 

As an athlete, you know better than anyone that there are tough times in a season. Whether that’s poor coaching, tough losses, or negative teammates. It seems like there is always something that has the power to discourage us from success. This is when finding your why comes into play. How do you find your why you ask? According to Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” This means that before we were even born, God had designed us for a specific reason with certain abilities to achieve His purpose. 

Now that we understand that we were created for a specific reason by God, we need to understand how to find our own why for getting up every morning to fulfill that purpose or goal. One great way to start is to ask yourself, “If all the incentives of what I am doing were taken away, would I still do it?” For example, as an athlete, if winning games, making it to the state championship, or the fame of being an athlete was taken away, would you still love the sport? If the answer is yes, then you know the passion for the activity/ sport is deeper than just the benefits you get from it. Next, try to go deeper by asking, “Why exactly do I love the activity/ sport and what makes me endure it even during the hard practices and long days?” This could be anything as simple as wanting to challenge yourself in a new sport, or as challenging as wanting a full-ride scholarship to get a free education. As long as it is something that motivates you and can stay consistent through the ups and downs of life, unlike money or fame, then you have found your why.

Once you have found your why, I encourage you to write it on a sticky note or on something you will see every day. If you forget everything I wrote in this article, I want you to remember two things today.  

1.     God made you for a purpose that is deeper than your own glory and fame and he wants you to use your talents to glorify Him. 

2.      Finding your why is critical in achieving any goal because it will reveal what you truly value and will help you to endure tough obstacles along the way. 

I hope this article was encouraging to you and that you found some ways to discover your why and get closer to achieving your goals.

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