Many of us are well familiar with the importance of knowing our “why” - the reason we care enough about something to take action.

A former manager turned mentor of mine first introduced me to the idea of this through Simon Sinek’s writing and it wasn’t until many many years later that I applied it to my health and habits outside of work. 

When working with new clients, there is another way I like to frame this. 

We start by setting goals of course, usually applying something like the SMART framework. Instead of simply confirming that the goal is relevant, we go a little deeper on why it’s relevant. Specifically, I want to know, what about your life changes AFTER you achieve this goal?

Let’s say I have a magic wand (possibly found in a crystal shop in Sedona, AZ), and I abracadabra’ed such that you woke up having reached your goal. How would you know it had been achieved? What about your life would feel different?

If it’s a goal to lose weight and you woke up 20lbs lighter, where would you feel it? And why would it matter? What would you do in this new body?

If your goal is building a business to a certain size or value or to increase your salary and you magically had that result today, what would be different? Would you feel lighter and less stressed? How would you spend your time if it wasn’t consumed by work?

That thing or feeling or experience you expect to be on the other side of your goal is often what we’re really chasing. And the amazing part is, we don’t have to wait for arrival to soak in some of that now. 

If losing weight means you’d have more energy to play with your kids or join a pickle ball league, you can start by playing just one game now. 

If it’s about more confidence and connection with your partner, you can plan a date night now that is to somewhere you’re never been.

If building your business or getting that promotion means you can take some time off on the weekends to hang with your friends or go on a vacation, you can schedule in a few hours of that now or plan a one night trip to a fun city that’s drivable. 

In the grind of the day to day, we can lose sight of what it’s all for. If we take moments to act as if we already have it, we have more fun along the way and become even more connected to our purpose which then amplifies our motivation to achieve it. 

When you go through this thought exercise and really connect with your “why,” the “what” and “how” become easier. 

When we know what it is you really want, then we can design a better plan for how we’re going to get there AND we can insert some glimpses of future state feelings and celebrate along the way.

So, what would be different for you if I waved this magic wand? How would you feel? What would you do? When can you insert a mini version of this to give yourself a glimpse into that future?

I’d love to hear what you come up with.