image from dreamatico.com

There are times in our lives, in living our dreams, when the demons that hide in the back of our mind and heart come out to try and send us into a spiral of depression and self-doubt. These are the days that our goals in life are the hardest to accomplish. For whatever reason in our past, there is a part of us that feels that we are not worth it, not good enough to have the things in life that we want. We end up taking shocking amounts of time wallowing in that mindset, looking a the life that we have and telling ourselves that this is as good as it gets for us, that this is all we can hope for and expect because of who we are.

The place that these demons come from is different for everyone, but we all have them. Did you hear that? We ALL have them. Every single one of us have those voices in our head that tell us that we don’t deserve a better life, a life where we wake up and look forward to the day rather than try to put off going to bed in hope of delaying having to start another unfulfilling day.

Knowing that everyone we see everyday has those same voices in their head, it is time that we look at the people that are successful, that do have the lives we want and ask ourselves how they do that?  How can they be successful even though they have those same demons in their head as we do in ours? The answer is simple, the answer is “Why?”

I am sure that you have come across this time and time again, and the reason for that is that it is THE most important thing in our lives. Once we have decided on dreams and goals, we end up making a commitment to ourselves to achieve those things, yet in most situations, those goals and dreams end up falling by the wayside when things get tough. The reason that those people we look up to, drive through those hardships is because on their Why. The Why is the reason that we have for achieving the goals that we want to achieve and when willpower fails us and we slip away from the commitment we made to reach our goals, it is the only thing that will pick us up and push us along the rocky path ahead.

The Why is going to be different for everyone out there, but everyone that wants a better life needs one, and needs a truthful and authentic Why in place to see them through those times that the demons are the loudest. For some it is their family, for others social justice, for some a better life or financial freedom.  

We need to take a step back and look at our Why, to truly become one with that Why so that it can carry us through all the setbacks and disappointments that life is going to throw at us.  My wife has written one of her WHYS below.  Maybe it will inspire you to come up with some of yours.  

I have firbo and have been unable to work at a full-time job for years.  Even part-time ones can be hard for me because when I stay still too long my entire body locks up and I cannot move at all without excruciating pain.  I love to teach and learn and I am very passionate about some topics including personal development.  I want others to learn and understand that they can overcome anything and be true to themselves and not be trapped by their illnesses.  Because of this desire to help others, I have dedicated myself to a diet and exercise regime that it very strict.  However, it does help reduce the pain levels and allow me to do things I love again. I can go hiking and I currently have two part-time gigs I do for some additional income as I go around the region teaching and presenting about different lifestyles and helping people grow and embrace our differences instead of fear them.  Because I want to help people do this, it is actually easy for me to turn down foods that are not part of my health diet and when I don’t want to work out one day, I remind myself that if I don’t I might not be able to present at the next event or share my story and help others learn to embrace who they are and what they are unashamedly.  It doesn’t make the workout fun but it does make me get it done.  I am deeply motivated by my desire to help other people so when I think of skipping a day, I remember all of those who might be counting on hearing something from me that helps them and I push through.  It is the people who read our blogs, and who come to my classes that are my why for keeping myself as healthy as I can.  and I am grateful to all of them for their help and motivation in keeping me at my best too.  

~xiaoyi
We hope this helps spark some “why” power for you too.