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

General Statement: When I was a kid I really loved gymnastics. I practiced
every day for four hours. It was challenging, but I got a lot out of it.
Specific Story: When I was a kid, I really loved gymnastics. Practices were long
and intense. I remember one day my team and I were working on some tumbling
with my most demanding coach. This guy was really tough to please. He was so
hard on me. I never felt good enough for this guy. Sometimes I felt he had it out
for me, that he was harder on me than the others. No matter how hard I worked,
it was never enough. Tumbling, especially aerial work like twisting flips, wasn’t
my strong suit. But I kept at it because I was determined to prove to this guy that
I was good enough. And then it happened. I remember it like it was yesterday. I
remember after one run I took, my coach kneeled down next to me and said to
the rest of the team, “That’s how it should be done!” I never felt prouder. I
realized at that point that he was harder on me not because he didn’t like me, but
because he believed in me. He pushed me because he knew I had the work ethic
and he knew I had it in me. Instead of telling me, he wanted me to learn that I
had it in me. I realized at that moment that discipline and hard work, which were

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ingrained in me at home, were really important. I think that’s when I really
learned about grit. I still get chills thinking about that day.
General Statement: I love my job. I’ve traveled to a lot of great places and
some not-so-glamorous ones too. What’s pretty consistent, though, is that I’m
always meeting interesting and inspiring people. The pay isn’t bad either!
Specific Story: I love my job. I get to go to some wonderful places, but even
when my destination isn’t glamorous, some of the most inspiring things happen.
I remember a specific time I went to a city that I wasn’t looking forward to
visiting. It was a small, rural community and I thought, “Well, win some, lose
some.” At the event I attended there, I met a football coach from a nearby
university. This guy was amazing. As we talked, he shared the most wonderful
story about how he does things differently. He runs his football team as a human
development and leadership program. Most coaches care only about winning and
losing. This coach cares about the growth of his players first. If they win, he
doesn’t let it get to their heads. And if they lose, he uses it as a learning
opportunity. Here’s the best part: it’s having a huge impact on his players. Not
only are they performing better as a team, but most of them are doing better in
school and even having more success with personal relationships, like with their
families, all thanks to their football coach. It was one of the most inspiring
stories I’ve ever heard. And I’m not even a sports fan!
The general versions of these stories say more or less the same thing as the
specific versions. But notice the depth of emotion expressed in the more specific
versions. Digging deeper brings back how you really felt.
As you share your specific stories, your partner should take notes about the
situations and circumstances you describe and also the feelings they evoke. At
the risk of beating a dead horse, these notes will be instrumental in identifying
the material and emotional links between your stories. The goal is not simply for
you to describe things you did but to uncover who you are.
Spend as much time as you need to tell each of your stories fully and to venture
beyond your original list. As you share, you may remember experiences that you
had forgotten. Tell those stories too. Remember, all roads lead to WHY. There
are no hard and fast rules to the stories you tell. Whether they are from your

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preparation or spontaneous memories, any story of significance, can help
solidify themes or introduce new elements for consideration. The more stories
you can share with your partner, the more data you will be able to cull from to
find the golden thread. And the clearer the golden thread, the more accurate your
Why Statement will be.