I want you to think back to when you first started your business. What was your reason why? Maybe it was to get away from an awful job or to spend more time with your kids. Maybe it was so that you didn't miss so many of the Activities that your kids had or because you were tired of working crazy hours or working on holidays, maybe you felt like you were worth far more than what you were making in your regular job if you had a 9 to 5. Whatever the reason, and there are so many more options out there, whatever your reason for initially starting, I want you to ask yourself now, is it still the reason that you have your business today? Because here's what I know to be true. Oftentimes, the reason that you started your business over time isn't the reason that will sustain you. You need a stronger why to carry you through to keep you going. It was enough of a reason for you to take that initial leap into starting your business, but it might not be enough to keep you going. So sure, it lit that initial fire, but you need 2 different kinds of whys to keep you going. Now I'm going to share a little bit about my beliefs and my whys as I talk through this.

And you may not like what I have to say about my why, But it's my why. And so it's okay if yours is different. Just know that mine might not be a very popular opinion. So for me, I initially wanted to start a business for the sake of independence. I literally craved Being in control, being my own boss, being able to set my schedule and have freedom. And, sure, I didn't like when I missed out on activities that my kids had, like their class parties at school and things like that? But really what frustrated me most about that Was that I had to ask permission to be able to attend those things and that it was even an option to not be able to go? And so for me, freedom was the bigger why. For me, my kids have not ever been and still aren't my why in my business? And I freaking love my kids. They're my kids, but they're not my why.

And I don't think that if I made them my why, that that would be strong enough to keep me going. And that's because, as I said earlier, you really need to have 2 different kinds of whys. And your kids Fall into your generous why. That's the first type of why that you need. Your generous why is the why you do what you do for others, Whether it's your immediate family, whether it's for your target audience and the impact that you wanna make on the world. And a lot of people go into business for others and for that impact. I'm sure you've heard of people who spend Money that they make in a way that helps the world in a deeper way, not just through the impact that they make with their products or services, but Giving back a portion of their proceeds to a charity or to a cause. Others' use the freedom that they've built into their lifestyle through their business to volunteer their time. So, there are a lot of ways to express your generous why.

There are a lot of ways that your business can help other people, and that can be really exciting. It can really drive you and give you that sense of purpose that we all need in our business? And so, this is an incredibly important piece. One of the top things that drive us as human beings It's a sense of purpose. And so, knowing that there's something bigger than you is absolutely critical. Yet it's not the only why that you need, and it's not going to help you sustain the tough times, the times where Business is freaking hard. The times where you have to do some really difficult things, make some difficult Decisions in your business? I wish business was all fun and games, but, of course, it's not. There are moments, there are seasons of business where you have to press on and you need a selfish why to keep you going? And that's the 2nd type of why. You need a selfish why.

So, when I talk about a selfish why, this can be Anything that's the reason for you, the benefit to you, to keep going in your business. It could be based on your passion because you get to do what lights you up and you actually enjoy it. It could be The freedom that you create for yourself, the lifestyle that you create for yourself, which is why I talk a whole lot about building A business that lights you up. It can also be the financial side, the financial gain. And there is Absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to make money in your business. It's a business after all. It's okay to be driven to earn more in your business? Now when that is a driver, I encourage you to take that deeper as to how you're actually going to use the money. And I've often made my clients, or I ask my clients to make a list of how they would actually spend the money that comes in.

So, it's not necessarily enough just to have a dollar amount. It's what that money will allow you to do in your life. And again, it's gotta be selfish. So it's not What you'd spend that on for other people that would go under the generous why? You need to have some reasons for you, some drivers for you personally, Some things that you have to look forward to when you reach your goals. So do you have both of these whys in place, Or do you have the why that you started with when you first started your business? Has your why changed over time? Have you rounded it out to include both? I want to really encourage you to revisit this. It's not something that you can set just when you start your business and Set it on the shelf and never revisit. You need to revisit your why. You need to stay connected to your why.

If you find yourself procrastinating on things in your business, if you find yourself unmotivated or unexcited, then it's time to reconnect. It's time to reconnect with both your selfish why and your generous why. You need both in place. And if you don't today, then that's your challenge. Go journal on it. Write it down somewhere where you can revisit it. And if you have a project management system or any kind of calendaring system, then give yourself a reminder, at least once a quarter. At least once or quarter, go back and just read through it, check-in, see if it still applies, if there's anything to add to it or shift, because things will change.

They should evolve. That selfish why is going to become a reality, and you'll aim bigger. That generous why will become a reality, and then it's time to aim Bigger. Because I know I've said this on a lot of guest podcast interviews that I've done, but I want to make sure I say it here as well. When you think you're playing big, you can play bigger. So, know that whatever you said today, you need to revisit, you need to expand, and you need to celebrate when you accomplish the reasons that you are doing what you're doing?