WHAT'S YOUR WHY? PART TWO

Last week, we began our journey to define our specific purpose by reflecting on our what. We documented responses to the following questions:

  • What activities do you spend the most time doing?

  • What do you enjoy doing?

  • What are you really good at?

With your completed list, what themes did you identify? Often times what we do, whether at work, home or in the community carries a consistent theme. If not the tasks themselves, then the role we are serving in to complete them can have a theme. For example, much of the tasks I complete on a daily basis involve organizing and planning. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I am doing, the theme of organization and planning shows up. What stands out to you on your list?

Now that we have considered what we do, let’s take this a step further and consider how you complete the things that you do. How you complete tasks will vary based on the needs of the particular assignment. However, depending on your own unique make-up, if given the opportunity to direct your work, you will likely lean in to a few specific ways that you do your work.

Look at the list of what you do and begin to write down how you do it. Here is an example:

  • What I do: Write weekly articles

  • How I do it:

    • Talk to readers and determine what they are interested in learning.

    • Research by reading articles and manuscripts.

    • Record and type thoughts.

    • Partner with an editor to review work and receive feedback.

    • Publish work through an agency.

With this list, what themes do you see? On the surface, I see that this person is a writer. If you take the time to dig deeper, I see that this person has to collaborate with others in order to complete their work. Aside from their individual tasks, such as reading and writing, this is someone who has to be proficient in working with other people. If they are not, they likely won’t succeed. Three of their five tasks involve working closely with others. This is how they do what they do. They collaborate.

Take some time this week to document and reflect upon how you do the things you identified last week. This activity will take some time. Don’t rush. Next Monday, we will move into exploring our why.

Brandi Stover