Inspire Yourself to Greatness – Ask WHY 7 Times!

Whether you wish to reach that golden nugget of what inspires your customers to buy or what inspires you to move through your fears, you have to ask why? Getting to that answer gives you strength and inspiration. So what inspires you to become a successful business owner?  I challenge you to do a  “Why? Why?” exercise.  In other words, ask yourself, “why?” to the previous question, 7 times. Start out with:

Why do I want to own my own business?

From the answer that you give, (keep it short for this exercise) – ask WHY? to the answer you  gave to the previous question. For example:

You get the idea. Then get a notebook for a journal, and go back to this exercise and write your answer in more detail for each why that you gave.

 Ask WHY do I suggest that you do this exercise? Here are several reasons.

1. It is to help you establish a pure and emotional acknowledgement of what is truly important to you.

Many times we go about doing things that we “accidentally” fell into and because of the rush of the “crowd’s” (or committee’s) opinion, where you just happen to go along with it, and you really didn’t have your heart in it. This isn’t the best reason to be doing something, especially if you are hoping for greater outcomes. Part of being a business owner (or for having a special career even) is to fulfill your dreams. So what ARE your dreams? Why are those dreams important to you? Are they YOUR dreams or are they someone else’s dreams for you? Are you doing what you really wish to do? Are you using your talents or gifts to really help you become successful? I strongly suggest that you start journaling about your – 7 WHYs – so that you can be aware of what is your greatest desire or results that you want to have. Something magical happens when you get to the 7^th WHY. Try it!

 2. Find out the TRUE root of the problem or inspiration.

Use a journal. Journaling helps the creative juices to flow. If you are working on a project and you need to solve a problem this method works great! There is a Quality Control system called “Six Sigma”. They utilize the “Ask WHY” method too. They use it to get down to the root of the “process” in order to be sure that the system is connected and complete. This method of asking WHY and journaling about it helps you to tie your “loose ends” together and find what might be your missing link. In doing this, you can find the answers you need to complete the process, or to learn what your next step should be toward your dream or goal. Journaling frees up your creativity and will help you to record those potentially inspired solutions.

 3.  Uncover your fears or your strengths.

If you find that you have a fear that holds you back, this method is also good to help you find out what is truly the reason for your fear. I did this once for myself. I have wanted to very much please people and yet when people didn’t realize my potential, I got upset. I kept asking myself my WHY’s and at a very emotional state, I came to realize that I was intensely let down once by my own mother when I was at a very vulnerable 8 years old. I took it upon myself to cook a complete dinner from scratch for my mom and dad. However, my dinner wasn’t edible. My mom came in and just said “this is horrible, no one can eat this. You did it all wrong!” she then promptly threw it down the sink and started to re-make the dinner. I ran off to my room totally in tears and felt like a failure. She didn’t even acknowledge how I wanted to do something nice and how I wanted to show her how I was “smart” enough to do it!  I was then forced to eat HER dinner that she copied off of me. I was totally ashamed! Many of my own insecurities in my own life have stemmed off from this one incident from my childhood. I would have never revealed it to myself without having asked the WHY’s. Because of this self-revelation, I’ve come to understand myself better and could now work to overcome my self-degradation that I fell into before.  So journaling and asking the 7 WHY’s will help you overcome and will strengthen you when and where you need it. It will reveal the ROOT of a problem, when once it is removed, it won’t re-grow and be a problem again.

 I have found it important to regularly check myself and the path that I am on with a simple “why?” or maybe “what for?”  I could ask myself, “what am I doing this for?” Are you doing it for the right reasons? Are you answering the WHY’s to get to the root of a problem? Are you confident that you are taking control of your desires and letting them lead you to your dreams of success? For each and every one of us, we have our own reasons WHY. You just need to know, from deep within you, why God placed those dreams or desires in your heart. They are there for a reason, and once you realize that reason, you become empowered. That empowerment leads you to become inspired and inspiring to others. You will attract the customers, or the results you seek for your success.

 If you are having difficulty achieving your life goals, or dreams, you need to find a life coach or mentor that understands the road to success and will help you to ask yourself the hard questions. Surround yourself with “like-minded” people, who are like the kind of person you wish to be more like. Set yourself up to be a active student by studying others and reading books that educate and “inspire” you. So you say you haven’t read a book since you left school? Then it is time to start reading again! Find a book, one that answers some of your WHYs and let it teach you where you can grow and be more confident in your business. I’ve been climbing the ladder of success and have answered many a hard WHY. (I share  some of my some here in my blog – Starting a Small Business? Success or Failure: the Choice Is Yours).  In looking back, I see the growth. Climbing ladders aren’t easy, but I was inspired to attain my best and most awesome self because of the examples of others and by the empowerment of my God. He led me to where I can find the person He created me to be. There is a lot of freedom and strength there. I am glad I’ve asked MY 7 WHYs.

 If you have done this exercise, please share what you found out at that magical 7^th WHY.

Cheryl Gnad, of owner/social media consultant with Social Focus by CG, offers coaching and consulting for small businesses looking to incorporate social media into their advertising strategies. She is a self-developed business owner, and a trained social media manager with names like Kate Buck Jr., Amy Porterfield, and Sandi Krakowski. Follow her on Facebook at Social Focus by CG, Twitter @SocialFocusbyCG, and on Linkedin.

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