11 Keys to Great Success in Life and Business: Key 11: Know Your 'Big Why'

Most industry folks want to focus on the “how.” How do I sell more? How can I make more money? How?

I believe with all my heart that “how” doesn’t matter until you know “why.” The truth is that most folks reading this already know “how” to double their sales and incomes. The reason they don’t actually do so is because they don’t know “why.”

Once we know “why” we do what we do, then the rest is far more simple.

Recently, I found myself feeling a little bored. I worried that driving Proforma from $500 million to its first billion-dollar year might not be as much fun as it was growing from $0 to $500 million. So, I hired an executive consultant to help.

In our first meeting, she said that we needed to work on my “big why.” I questioned her. I told her I wanted to know “how"—how to get re-energized, how to get laser focused. She reminded me that “how” doesn’t matter until we know “why.”

Further, she told me that my “big why” was not about money and success. She said that money and success may be a byproduct of my “big why,” but not the focus. I didn’t completely understand, but I trusted her.

So, we worked on my “big why.” We had a few meetings, and I spent about six hours of private reflection on understanding my “big why.” Why I get up in the morning, why I was able to grow Proforma to $500 million, and why I would enjoy growing Proforma to its first billion-dollar year.

Here’s my “big why”: I am determined to inspire the relentless pursuit of big dreams, amazing lives and a beautiful world. That’s who I am down to my toenails. Even if I lost everything, it would still be the essence of who I am.

Now in touch with my “big why,” I am more excited and focused than ever to drive Proforma to $1 billion and beyond, because I know that in doing so I truly am helping thousands of people pursue their dreams, live amazing lives and make our world a little more beautiful.

I have enjoyed sharing these 11 Keys to Great Success with you. I hope that in some small way they may help you to pursue your dreams, live an amazing life and make your world more beautiful.