Find Your Why: a practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team pdfdrive com

Method 1: Peaks and Valleys

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Draw a horizontal line across the middle of a piece of paper. Stories you put
above the line are those you consider happy memories: moments you’d
enthusiastically relive. Stories below the line are events that you wouldn’t
necessarily want to relive but that impacted your life and shaped who you are
today. Write a few words to encapsulate each story as you fill out the chart. The
higher you plot the stories above the line, the more fulfilling and positive they
were. The lower you plot the stories below the line, the more challenging or
difficult they were. You’ll probably end up with stories at various levels.
When it comes time to choose the stories you’ll tell your partner, choose the
highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. These are the stories that carry
the most emotion and therefore the ones that will most clearly lead to your
WHY. You probably won’t share all the stories you’ve noted on the page; in fact,
you may share other stories that you think of spontaneously when you are with
your partner. It’s all good. This exercise is just a starting point to get the juices
flowing.
Method 2: The Memory Prompt

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If you have a hard time picking stories out of thin air, this method may be for
you. Just read the prompts below and see what memories they spark. Don’t
worry about writing down all the details. Just write a line or two on a piece of
paper to jog your memory when it comes time to share with your partner.
Who in your life has helped make you the person you are today (coach,
mentor, teacher, family member)? Write down a specific time when they
exemplified what you admire most about them, whether they were interacting
with you or with someone else. How did hearing their words or watching their
actions make you feel? Who else helped shape who you are today? Repeat as
many times as you like.
Think of a day at work when, as you headed home, you might have said to
yourself, “I would have done that for free.” What happened that day to make
you say that?
Think of your worst day at work—the kind of day you hope never to go
through again. What happened?
What is the earliest, specific, happy childhood memory that comes to your
mind?
At school, what was an experience you loved?
What has been a pivotal moment in your life, one when you realized nothing
would ever be the same?
What happened that changed the way you think about the world and your role
in it?
What was a time when you gave of yourself to help someone else, after which
you felt unbelievably good—like you had done something that mattered?
What have you accomplished that you’re really proud of? (Be sure to make a
mental note of who else was involved. For example, who helped you, who
cheered you on, who was waiting for you at the finish line?)

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Once you have your chart or list of stories in hand, you’re ready to share them
with your partner. Just a word of caution. Again, don’t overanalyze your
selection of stories before you meet with your partner. One of the main reasons
you work with a partner is to have someone who can find meaning you can’t see
and offer objective, open-minded insight. If you come to the storytelling part of
your Why Discovery with preconceived ideas about how your memories fit
together, you risk telling them in a way that proves your theory. Relax and let
your partner identify the themes. You are the storyteller. Your partner is the
interpreter.