When life gives you lemons try the 45 Why Process
So you’ve had time off. Nice! You’ve come back refreshed, reinvigorated and you feel like you’re back on track. You’re even excited about your work again and can’t wait to get stuck in.
Then just as soon as you get going, life throws a big curve ball at you. Not something piddly, annoying or relatively insignificant. But truly life changing, gob-smackingly complicated or heart-breakingly painful. And you wonder if and when you’re ever going to be able to focus on your bigger goal again.
That’s why I love having a sense of purpose – something to focus on that’s bigger than yourself. When women in particular are focused on a mission or a cause it helps them move mountains, depress the modesty norm and get over those life curve-balls more easily.Given that making a difference is one of the three pillars in the feminine ambition trifecta, having a sense of purpose is a true driver.
The 45 Why Process
The most compelling tool I’ve found to get you really focused on your sense of purpose or your why – is the 45 Why Process.
Yes, it’s that simple. You sit down and you write down a huge long list of reasons why you should be doing what you’re doing – 45+ reasons to be exact!
“When your life is on course with its purpose, you are your most powerful”
Oprah Winfrey
Why do I love this?
- It makes you dig deep. To get to 45 reasons you have to explore all aspects of yourself from the purely practical, to the soul deep, heart felt reasons right through to the mundane or even monetary reasons. They all matter. Write them all down.
- Plus it gives you laser vision focus and clarity on your goal and whether to keep going or not.
- It helps you take action – and as we know from Katty Kay and Claire Shipman in The Confidence Code, action boosts confidence, which makes you more powerful.
- And finally, it reminds you of why you should be bothered. Why you keep putting up with all the drama, the headaches, the heart ache and the resistance. Why you get out of bed every day to keep fighting the good fight or battling the patriarchy – pick which ever applies.
On that note, I want to reach out to all the women in my network who have suffered big challenges over the past few weeks and months. Bereavements, cancer diagnoses and other major health scares, break ups, miscarriages, redundancies, social media hacks and even missing out on a role that you might have had your heart set on. If that’s you or someone close to you, please take the time out to heal. Have compassion for yourself and seek the support you need. I’m thinking of you.
Life and work can feel incredibly challenging at times … definitely makes you wonder why you bother with work at all, and as you read last week on my blog, women leaders are leaving at a higher rate than ever, so you’re not alone.
Then if you need something to get back on track, try the 45 Why Process and see if it helps you to gain clarity, confidence and perspective again.
Here’s an article from the archives on How To Rekindle Your Sense of Passion and Purpose.
YOUR THOUGHTS? Reach out and let me know if it works for you.
Fortune favours the well prepared particularly on LinkedIn
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