Knowing your WHY!
Knowing your why can be a source of strength and resilience, inspiring us to keep going when the going gets tough. Ultimately, it can help us to persist and to achieve the success we desire. When it comes to working out and undertaking a fitness journey, it is important to know our why. Knowing why we want to embark on this journey is the foundation of success. It is the motivation that will push us to continue even when we are feeling discouraged or unmotivated.
Having a why will help us stay focused and committed to our goals. Having a why will also help with selecting the right exercises and activities for our fitness journey. For example, if you have a why of wanting to reduce stress, you may choose to focus on activities such as yoga and meditation, Pilates, and Barre Fitness to help you reach your goal.
Now, we just have to know what our why is, so how do we go about that?
Well, we all have a sense of knowing inside of us – an inner wisdom that helps guide us on our journey through life. It is often referred to as our intuition and it can be a powerful tool for understanding ourselves, our relationships, and our environment. Learning to listen to our know how is an important skill to cultivate. It can help us to make decisions with clarity and confidence, enabling us to make choices that are best for ourselves.
To listen to our know-how, we must first become aware of it. This can be done through meditation, journaling, or simply by becoming still and reflecting on that inner voice. Basically, it requires going inwards rather than being distracted by external noises, such as what’s going on social media and what other people are doing and saying. Let’s start by asking ourselves what it is that truly matters to us, what brings us joy, and what we want to accomplish in life, and I don’t mean on the surface or the prepared answer we may give during job interviews; look inwardly and sit with yourself for a while in silence. Think about what makes you unique and what you have to offer to the world. Take some time to really evaluate yourself, your passions, and your goals. Once you have identified your why, the next step is to acknowledge it and make it a priority.
Make it a habit to focus on your why and consciously work towards achieving it. It may be far-fetched for some, but I think we should all be open to the possibility that our intuition may be trying to tell us something, even if it doesn’t make sense to us at first. When we tap into our know-how, we can trust that we have the answers we need. We can be open to the guidance that arises within us and trust that it is there to help us along our path. Who better to trust than ourselves—we are the best representative for our truest self, and we get to shape and share ourselves, our why, with whomever we choose. How empowering is that?
On the one hand, yes, the process of understanding and crafting our why can be difficult and challenging. For one, it can take a lot of introspection and self-reflection to really dig deep and identify what it is that drives us. On the other hand, knowing our why is like “day one” of starting something new where we have so many opportunities for growth and to be the best version of ourselves. The relationship we build with ourselves throughout our health journey, the choices to work out and eat healthy that we decide to make are creating the foundation of that important relationship with ourselves, which will also transpire into our other relations. How we treat ourselves is telling of the standards we set for how others can treat us.
Our why can be anything really, don’t overthink it, you’ll know. Our why could be anything from wanting to improve our health, reducing stress, building muscle, or having more energy to enjoy recreational activities with friends and family. No matter what it may be, it is important to keep it in mind when faced with obstacles.
The emotional journey of trusting our know-how and using our why to drive our goals can be an incredibly powerful, yet sometimes difficult process. In the sense that the realization of our why can be incredibly liberating and motivating. It can give us a sense of direction and clarity and help us to focus on the things that really matter.
More so, knowing our why is an essential part of any fitness journey and is the key to helping us stay committed and motivated throughout the process. Once we have identified our why, however, we can use it to help propel us towards our goals. We can use it as a reminder of our purpose and motivation when faced with adversity or doubt. We can use it to stay focused on our goals and to stay committed to the path we have chosen. And did I mention you can have more than one why!
What’s interesting is that in navigating our know-how, common things we all need are resilience and to feel at peace, which is where exercise comes in. When we exercise, we strengthen our resilience and create the mental space to process.
So, whenever I’m coaching a class, I guide my clients in such a way that they are focusing on how their body feels as they are stretching and strengthening it. The goal is to pay attention to each movement and feel how it is energizing both the body and the mind. I change routines daily, so nothing becomes second nature and clients have to listen to my cues and focus on the flow of each exercise and using breath work when it gets challenging. Doing all these things helps clients go beyond just getting in a challenging workout for the whole body; it brings them to be aware of their emotions and to use that energy to power through the exercises. To get the most out of our time exercising, we have to be connecting with our body and mind. A good and qualified Fitness Coach will make that happen, even in a group setting.
With all the challenges of the past year, it’s important to stay active and find ways to move our bodies even when we’re at home. Online workouts are a convenient way to access a variety of exercises and workouts right from the comfort of our own homes. I build my classes in a professional manner and offer guidance to help clients build their resilience by providing them with the tools and guidance to stay active and build a healthy lifestyle. The real-time human interaction and community atmosphere also makes it easy to stay motivated and connected.
Listening to our intuition, OUR WHY, is a practice that can take time and effort, but it is worth the effort. Embrace it the Warrior Way!
What’s your know-how telling you?
Yes!!! This is one of the most important things you can do to succeed, no matter what your goal is. Knowing your WHY makes all the difference! Thanks for sharing!
Yes! That why is so important especially on the days we don’t want to put in the work or just feeling discouraged. Great post.
This is so true! When we have a clear picture as to the reason we want to get fit (or anything else) it’s our motivator to keep going!
My dad had a heart attack when he was 50 years old. He seemed in great condition and you would have never picked him as one to have a heart attack. I chose to live my life with healthy eating choices and exercise so that I didn’t ever have to experience a heart attack myself since it was in my genes.
I’m sorry to hear you lost your dad at such a young age. Losing someone is never easy. Good for you choosing to nourish you body with healthy food and exercise. Love to see you in class Jolayne.
everyone needs to know their why
Blocking out those distractions and doing the work for self reflection is so vital in all areas of life! Thanks for the important reminder. As for me and my health journey, diabetes runs in my family and I want to keep it at bay. So far, so good.
I agree it can be strength source and it took me a while but now I know my why. Thank you for such a lovely reminder!
I agree completely! Once I understand my why, it’s much easier to stay motivated to achieve my goals. This is a great reminder to keep our why in the forefront of our minds!
Great article! Knowing our WHY is key!
I agree with this advice so much – the “why” is so important for motivation. Thank you for sharing!
After knowing your why, you can literally achieve anything…thank you for this great information.
I love this! It took me a while to figure out my why and understanding what your why really means. It’s not just because “I want to help others” – yes, that will come. But it also means ask yourself (and be specific) “How do I want to help my self, and how do I want to change my life?”
I agree completely. When we understand our why, it is much easier to stay motivated and keep going!
This is such a great post. Thanks for sharing!
Such a great post! Knowing your why and purpose in life can really make a difference.
Knowing you why. My new favorite term! You are right if you don’t know why you will not have motivation or keep it. This is great!
Wow! It is so important to know our why and listen to it. It is something I often forget to do, but I need to make some changes!
Great post on the importance of understanding your purpose and motivations. Knowing your ‘why’ is crucial in setting meaningful goals and creating a fulfilling life. Well written and informative, it serves as a reminder to all of us to reflect on what drives us
Great read. It is essential that we get to know ourselves and evaluate why we embark on different endeavors. Excellent article.
Knowing your why is what keeps you going when you want to quit. Everyone needs to know that. thanks for sharing
Great post, this is so important to any goals we set out to achieve. We need to focus on our why to stay on top of them!
Knowing our why is pretty important to achieve many things in life. I completely agree that knowing our why can be a great source of strength and resilience when things get tough. Thank you so much for putting this awesome post together!
It’s so important to know your why and remain honest about it. 🤗
Pastor Natalie (Examine This Moment)
Letstakeamoment.com
I totally agree that knowing your why can keep you focused and help you achieve your goals!
Such a great post that is so helpful for any challenge we undertake in life. As long as you are following your “why” you will never be lead astray. Thank you for sharing this!
I often forget my why while I’m having a bad day so I find journaling each day about my way helps me come back to my center. Great post!
This is a good thing to really think about. I started tracking my steps with a Fitbit years ago and now have an Apple Watch. Tracking with my watch has helped me keep moving especially when I have a challenge to get to a specific goal.
I love the idea of trusting your why and listening to your intuition. What a great way to stay grounded and focused. Love this.
Defining your why is so helpful for motivation and sticking with it through the ups and downs.
Such a great post. Sometimes I forget my why and need to reel myself back in.
This is so true! I like focusing on the big picture so the goals become a habit … and a fabric of yourself. That’s how I envision my 2023 one-word theme goal: STRIDE! 🙂
Thanks so much for this wonderful blog post! Your insightful tips on how to find your why have really given me food for thought, and I’m excited to try out some of these techniques in order to discover my own purpose.