Why You Need To "Find Your Why": Part 1
The Hero's Journey
I love My Hero Academia. I think it is one of the most entertaining interpretations of the "heroes journey". I find myself relating more to Midoriya (Deku) than any of the other characters. At the point, you may be wondering to yourself "Alright, but what does this have to do with finding my why?" Everything, just bare with me.
For those that haven't watched the show, Deku dreamt of being a hero since he was a small child. He aspired to become a great hero like his favorite hero All Might. During his childhood, he is informed that he does not have a "quirk" which is the shows term for super power. Despite this, he continues to show courage and always stands up for people and tries to help them. Without spoiling too much, he acquires a quirk and sets on a journey of becoming a strong and great hero. Ok, so why despite originally having no quirk, did Deku continue to act like a hero? Once acquiring a quirk, he struggles to control it but continues to push himself beyond his limits in order to save, help, and protect people. But why? His "why" is the exact reason.
The Power Of Emotion
We are incredibly emotional creatures. You may not even realize how many of your decisions end up being dictated by your emotions. How you respond to something, what you are craving (this will be another article topic), what you listen to, what you wear, what you watch, what you do that day. This is because emotion is a very powerful tool, and can be an incredibly powerful motivator. Knowing the true and emotional reason "why" you want to accomplish something is the ONLY thing that will empower you with enough determination and conviction to keep pushing towards your goals even when things become difficult. This is why Deku never gave up. The reason WHY he wanted to become a hero was stronger than all of the obstacles in his way. Your true why is going to be accompanied by a lot of emotion. You will need to dig very deep, and peel away a lot of layers to find the true emotional reason why you have your specific goal. As an example, my reason "why" stems from feelings of low self worth and lack of confidence from being made fun of as a child for being weak and scrawny. I know how painful that was, and I don't want to experience that pain again, so I work very hard towards my goals. I (like many other people) read comics, watched tv, played video games, all depicting buff, strong heroes and always thought "If I was stronger and more muscular, I would finally be confident." This was my motivator, and addimetedly comes from a place of vanity. Your "why" may be very different. It may have to do with a health scare, the loss of a loved one from a preventable disease, being healthy and capable for your kids, etc. But even those aspects of the why are merely superficial.
In Part 2 of this topic, I will address some steps and ways to help you find your own why. In the mean time, if you haven't watched My Hero Academia, go check it out. It is an incredibly motivating and empowering show.