Finding Your Why

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Before you can set goals, you need to find your why.

So last week I posted a condensed version of my background and a bit of my journey so far. And I was going to write about goal setting, but I realized something really important came before goals. And that’s the reason why you’re setting goals in the first place. You might be like, okay well, my goal is obviously to lose weight or get in shape. But I’ve learned your why needs to be much deeper than that.

I was watching an episode of This Is Us yesterday where a line really resonated with me. It was something along the lines of, “what if you lose the weight and you’re still just you.” Too often, we think of weight loss as this magic life and self altering thing. And in some small ways it is. But for the most part, you are who you are regardless of your size. That’s why finding your why, that is more than a number, becomes so important. You need to have a deeper reason. Because once you lose the weight or you get those abs, and you realize that you are the same person simply smaller or with abs, you’ll need a reason to stay there. Otherwise, the weight will quickly go back on, or the gains you fought for will disappear.

Your why can’t be for other people.

I think one of the main reasons I wasn’t able to be successful in the past is because I always putting other people first. And I don’t mean simply with my time and resources. I was in the life-long habit of putting other people’s thoughts and opinions ahead of my own. I was always trying to make other people happy even if it meant throwing my own mental health under the bus. In the past, losing weight, the reasons were always for other people first.

I think every person deserves to experience their best life. And I don’t believe that anyone should ever feel bad about freeing themselves from negativity. Learning to say no and freeing myself from negative and demanding people helped me discover my true reasons for my health journey. I think leaving negative situations is a great form of self-respect and a necessary part of any health journey.

Your why has to be so much deeper than an number on a scale.

For so many years I had a number in my head wherein if I achieved that number ‘I would be different’. Not only would I be different, but life would be perfect, problems would disappear and I would be happy. I know now that my life was always pretty great, problems come and go, and that at the end of the day, I am happy. A number on a scale really doesn’t change any of that. My why became about how I wanted to live my life, and about what I wanted to put out into the world. So far, that’s been working pretty well for me.

When times get tough.

Having a why will help you when life ultimately gets in the way. Your why will help when motivation dies, when hard days occur, and when dreams seem far away. It’s important to talk about the reasons why you are on your health journey with friends and family so they can remind you of your why when the hard times hit.

Need more self-reflection inspiration?

Here are some awesome posts:

• Why Finding Your “Why” Is So Important
• How Do We Live A More Authentic Life?
• How To Do A Life Audit

Share your “whys” with me in the comments!

Chat soon,

Shannon