Finding Your Big WHY

What is a Big WHY and how do you know if you have a good one?

To find that out, let us ask you a question…

If we put a 10ft long plank on the ground and offered you $10 to walk across it, would you?

Most likely your answer would be yes. I mean how hard is it to walk 10ft to get $10?

But what if we took that same 10ft long plank and stuck it in between two 20-story apartment buildings… Then offered you $10 to walk across it?

How many people do you think would take up that challenge? Probably not many.

But what if we told you that the other building was on fire and one of your family members was trapped on the other side and the only way to save them would be to walk across that plank and bring them to safety? (Oh, and We’ll still give you $10 if you do it).

Our guess is you wouldn’t hesitate to walk the plank. No matter how high off the ground it was.

But why?

Why is it that when the other building is not on fire and your family member’s life is not in danger you would be crazy to walk across the plank for a measly $10, but then when your family member’s life IS in danger, you’d be crazy not to?

This is the scenario described in Darren Hardy’s bestselling book: The Compound Effect. And it’s used to explain the power behind having a strong motivation, what we call, your Big WHY.

Having a strong WHY gives you the courage to walk a very high plank INTO a burning building. Even though you know it’s extremely dangerous.

Having a weak WHY is also what causes you to say, “nahh I’m good,” when we offer you a crisp $10 bill to walk across it.

So how does this relate to you or your life as a real estate agent?

Well, as you start going down this path called “success in real estate” you’ll quickly realize that it’s not easy. A lot of times it’s not even exciting. There are going to be people you don’t want to talk to, prospects you’re afraid to call, and paperwork that you don’t feel like doing.

I know the movies make life seem like everything should be fun and exciting all the time. But the reality is that achieving success in anything – not just in real estate – involves a lot of hard work and doing the right things over and over again.

Stuff that if someone were to film and make a movie out of it, no one would come watch it.

And this is exactly why you need something to hold on to that can motivate you through the hard times, keep you going through the boring times, and pick you back up when you fail.

This is why you need to find your Big WHY.

There’s a saying that goes: “if the WHY is big enough, the HOW will appear.”

If your reason to succeed is strong enough, you’ll find a way to get it done.

One of the most important things you can do before starting anything new is to ask yourself, “why do I want to do this?” If you can come up with a strong enough WHY you’ll be able to tap into what we call your WHY POWER any time you need to.

So how do you discover your WHY, or if you already have one, how do you know it will be powerful enough to continue to motivate you?

Well, here are a few things we know about your Big WHY:

Your Big WHY Is Not About The Money

In Keller Williams, we talk about having careers worth owning, building businesses worth owning, so that they will fund a life that’s worth living.

Ultimately, money is only good for the good it can do for you and others. Money has no value until you apply it towards something worthwhile. That’s why setting a certain income goal, or wealth accumulation can be motivating but not as much as thinking about why you want that money in the first place.

If you had all the money you wanted, what would you do with it? Why do you want to make more money?

It’s Also Not About Yourself

Usually, when you listen to what motivates people, you hear things like, “providing for my family,” or “helping a cause I’m passionate about.”

In our experience, the things that give you a long-lasting motivation revolve around things that are bigger than yourself. Having a nice house and going on expensive vacations is nice. But when you shift your focus to helping others you’ll be able to have a truly meaningful WHY.

But It IS About Yourself

Wait, what?

How can your big WHY not be about yourself and be about yourself at the same time?

Well, we already explained how your big WHY is not likely about yourself. This is because the best motivators focus on how you can help others instead of providing for yourself. But it IS about yourself in the sense that instead of comparing yourself to others, you should be focused on your own journey and being the best that you can be.

When you compare yourself to other people, you can always find someone to make you feel better about yourself. Just like you can also always find someone who makes you feel like you aren’t doing enough.

Constantly comparing yourself to other people’s progress will distract you and take you off track. Staying laser-focused on your own path will actually give you the greatest chance of beating those people you compare yourself with.

Interesting, huh?

So in thinking about your big WHY, remember that it’s not about the money, it’s about what you can do with the money. It’s not about yourself; it’s about what you can do to help other people. And lastly, it’s not about comparing yourself to someone else. But about staying focused on what you’re doing and becoming better than you were yesterday!

At Keller Williams we coach to the whole person, meaning we believe life is more than just selling real estate. We are here to help you live a life by design, not just sell another house. We can’t wait for you to join KW and hear your big WHY!