The Secret Behind Motivation: Finding Your "WHY" and Aligning Yourself with Your Business

Guest post by Amanda Beilke, a life design coach at www.amandabeilke.com.

You've got a BIG heart! You've got a business or maybe it’s still in the sweet and dreamy business idea phase. But what's the motivation behind your business or the business you want to start? What makes you want to work those crazy hours, you know the day job, while you are trying to run your full time business during your lunch hour, nights, weekends, early mornings, and during any other slice of time you can find?

Or what makes you want to do all those technical set ups of trying to launch a website on your own? Or create the super detailed and huge business plan for what you see as your future business and way of life?

There's something within you that pulls you forward even when you have all of these hurdles stacked against you. There’s something in you that keeps you moving when all you want to do is curl up on the couch after a long and frustrating day to watch your favorite Friends episode. There's something within you that 9 times out of 10 makes you want to sit down at your apartment desk (aka kitchen table) and keep plugging away.

What is that something? It's the motivation behind your business; it's the reason why this business of yours is so important to you.

The Secret Behind Motivation: Finding Your "Why" and Aligning Yourself With Your Business

So friend, why is this business so important to you?

What is it that you love about it? And no I don’t mean your canned and rehearsed response that you use at networking events or social events. I mean the “why” that has you squealing after you nailed a project, the “why” that has you call your mom to tell her how amazing the last client session you had was. I mean the genuine, deep down love you have for your business and how it makes you feel inside.

Your “why” for your business and your genuine care for your clients and your work is what sets you apart.

No one can run a business the way you do and with the same heart, soul, and motivation to do so. No matter how many graphic designers, shop owners, photographers, or coaches there are out there, only you can do it your way with the unique gifts, abilities, and knowledge that you have.

So let’s figure what that special reason is behind your business. Grab your favorite notebook, a pen, a cup of coffee and let’s dig in. It’s really important that you write down detailed responses to these questions instead of opting for your gut response of just a couple quick words. It will make a huge difference in the end result for you and the future of your business and life.

What things, if they were taken away or you couldn’t do them, would make life unbearable? What makes these things valuable to you?
You've been given a billboard and can put any message you want on it. Thousands of people will drive by and see your billboard each day. What does it say?
Name the things that most relax you, excite you, and delight you.
What are 3 adjectives people in your life would use to describe you? (Text 3 friends right now and ask them if you need help)
What do you consider your best quality? How are you utilizing that?
When I was a child I didn’t realize that ______________________.
No one in my family knows or remembers this: ______________________.
What do you want your legacy to be and what do you want the people you connected with to say about you on your last day?

How did those questions go for you? Look back at them. Was there anything that surprised you that you wrote down? Maybe you knew all of these answers about yourself already, but now you see how they fit into your life and business in a different way. Maybe you are even emotionally exhausted after digging deep for those detailed answers. That’s okay! That’s part of the fun process of creating alignment between you and your business!

Now, go back and circle the three questions and answers that had the biggest impact for you.

Now fill in:

My ____________ business is important to me because _____________ and I fall in love with _____________ over and over again through the work I do every day!

Fill in your own definition of Success in life and business:

What success means to me: _____________________

When being the CEO of your business gets tough, remember why you are in it. Put post it notes around home – the bathroom mirror and the apartment door are my favorite go to spots for these types of reminders. Find a quote that inspires you to keep pressing forward in the pursuit of your dreams. Find a piece of jewelry like a bracelet, or an art piece, or even a song that reminds you of your purpose in this world and the mark you want to make in the lives of the people around the world through your life and business.

You’ve had your fair share of good days and bad days as a business owner. No matter how many months or years you have been in business that is something that will never go away. But if you know your personal values and why this business is so important to you and how it can genuinely help others, and if you run your business in alignment with those pieces every single day and with every decision you make, then you are in a beautiful place, my friend. You are in the process of making your wildest dreams your reality.

Life is hard, but you are strong and capable and you by now, after going through these questions, know if this business is where your big heart is at.

You have the choice to design your destiny.

You create your future with each choice you make every minute, every hour, every day, every week, and every year of your life. It's the choices you make each moment that write your story.

What do you want your story to be? Make it a good one!

Amanda Beilke

Amanda is a Life Design Coach. She coaches ambitious women in helping them identify their core values and purpose, in order to align those with meaningful work throughout all areas of life so that they can feel completely authentic, confident, empowered, and full of joy in how they are living their lives. To learn more about Amanda and her mission, go to www.amandabeilke.com Now is the time to turn your dreams into reality!