Some people think your Why is you are on the internet because you want to make money.
That is wrong.
You are not on the internet to make money. There are easier ways to make money. 🙂
You are on the internet because you want to improve your life.
Whether you want to have income coming in to your bank account so you can work less and enjoy your hobbies.
Whether you want income coming in to your life so you can help your children go to college or help your children to afford their own home.
Whether you have an “urge” to share your wisdom so others don’t have to go through health challenges you have had in your life.
Whether you want to help because the act of helping gives you an emotionally positive feeling when you know you have helped others.
Your Why is what gets you out of bed each morning to get onto the internet to make some money.
Your Why can be you want to share your writings with the world.
Your Why may be an urgent need to get some revenue to pay bills that are piling up in your life.
Your Why is the reason you get out of bed each morning to go and earn some revenue in order to answer your Why.
Defining Your Why will make it easier to prioritze what you do each day.
When you first hung out your virtual shingle, you likely were thinking:
- “I can’t wait to get away from this awful job.”
- “I just want to be home with my kids.”
- “This dead-end job is going nowhere.”
- “I’m tired of working crazy hours and holidays.”
- “I know I’m worth more than they’re paying me.”
These and many, many other thoughts go through the heads of every would-be business owner, and are often the driving force behind that final, “I quit.”
But while they’re great for lighting a fire and inspiring you to make a scary jump to business ownership, they’re not so fabulous at motivating you to grow and improve. They won’t inspire you to increase your skills and raise your rates and be brave and authentic in your marketing. They won’t help you find the courage to hire a new coach or launch a brand new program.
To find the inspiration to make your business thrive, you have to identify the real why behind what you do.
Passionate Whys
“Passion based” is a phrase that’s found a massive following in the past few years, and seems to be the holy grail of entrepreneurial adventures. And for business owners with a true passion for their field, it can be a strong motivator.
Some business owners are passionate about a subject, spending all their waking hours learning about the topic. Some are passionate about a market, and would do anything to help their ideal client achieve his or her goals.
Whichever type of passion-based business owner you are, learning to harness that passion will help take your business to the next level.
Financial Whys
Maybe you want to retire at 40 to travel the world, or send your kids to an elite private school. Maybe you love fast cars, and dream of driving a brand new Ferrari.
Whatever your big dream, you knew you’d never make it while putting in time at the day job. While everyone seems to go on and on about those passion-based dreams, the truth is there’s nothing wrong with wanting financial fulfillment. Money is a necessary tool. We need it, and the more we have, the easier life is. And wanting more of it is nothing to be ashamed of, as long as you maintain your integrity and authenticity in pursuit of it.
Philanthropic Whys
Plenty of online business owners go into business so they can have more to give. You’ve no doubt heard of—or maybe even know—marketers who use their earnings to fund mission trips, build schools in war-torn, third world countries, and support a variety of charities at home and abroad. Others use the time freedom they’ve built into their business to volunteer with local hospitals, animal shelters and children’s organizations.
If you have a heart for a cause, a philanthropic why might be the driving force that takes your business to the next level.
To find your own why, consider your biggest dreams. If money were no object, what would you be doing?
