As Simon Sinek once said:
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it and if you talk about what you believe, you’ll attract those who believe what you believe and who have the same values as you do.“
This blog post will be about the power of knowing your why.
In his TED Talk Sinek talks about how people don’t buy a product from you, just because you happen to sell it. They buy your product because they align with your values and beliefs, and you manage to inspire them. The same principle also works for employer branding, if the employee truly believes in the values of the company, they will work with greater passion. It just so happens the company the person can identify itself with, offers them a product they need, or offers them a job.
Sinek also mentions Apple and its marketing strategy, if they would advertise a new product only by stating its features, sales would go down dramatically. Instead, a couple of years ago Apple advertised with the following message:
In other words, they wanted to inspire their customers, to make them feel good by buying a product of theirs. They didn’t primarily advertise WHAT they sold, they rather used their WHY as a marketing strategy and as you can see, it worked!
What is my WHY?
At the beginning of 2018 I started a WhatsApp Group called ‘The Shining Self’ to motivate and inspire people to create a meaningful life. A few months later, I started to do the same on Instagram and at the beginning of 2019 I started this blog, ‘The Shining Self’.
This message alone won’t make you read anything I write, it doesn’t give you any information about WHY you may find value in my content. I don’t create because I love writing and I didn’t start all of this because I am incredibly good with social media. No, I do it because I believe that life can be amazing, and I want to share my message with other people.
My mission is to encourage others to live a life which fires them up and which they love.
On my way to university I often saw the looks on other people´s faces, and to be honest, they often looked miserable and angry. I don’t want to live a life in which I get up in the morning, commute to a workplace I don’t like, commute back home again, fall asleep and the next morning, everything starts again.
I want to live a life which makes me happy, feels exciting and I love, and it is possible. I know so many people who already live a fulfilling life! I want to encourage YOU to follow me on my journey, and to inspire you to create a meaningful life, pursuing your dreams.
WHY should you know your WHY?
I didn’t only tell you my WHY, so you know why you are reading this blog. The point of all this is to emphasise the importance of knowing your WHY. On one side it definitely helps you to have a great vision for your life and to know your path and where you are going. By having clarity in your life you might also be able to make better decisions and it increases your motivation by knowing why you do what you do.
On the other side it helps others to know your WHY, because people who share their values with you will love to help you reach your goals, be around you, work with you, or buy from you. When I want something from somebody, I first tell them, why I want it and how much they would help me, before telling them what I actually want.
If you think about your life for a moment, ask yourself these questions:
- What is your mission?
- What are you passionate about?
- Why do you do what you do?
Thank you so much for reading my post, if you remember one message from today, I hope it is this:
Find your WHY and remember it daily!
