Sounds funny right? All our lives we ask, and have been asked, “what” you want to be when you grow up, but seldom do we ask “why?” The why is so critical to success, yet the what leads so many decisions and life choices. Is it any surprise that so many people have a luke warm sentiment about their jobs or God forbid their “careers?”

At least twice in my life, I followed the paths of what careers–one by pure accident and another by great intention. The results were what you might expect: longing, dissatisfaction, frustration and anger.

Over the last two years, I have spent most of my consulting hours, working with clients in the profit and non-profit sectors forcing the why questions. Relentlessly, we spend difficult hours cutting through all of the “stuff they do” to get to the reason that they are doing it. It’s amazing and fulfilling to walk this journey.

This week I’m going to write a few pieces about how to answer the why, but first, I wanted to put the questions to you:

• Do you know your purpose?
• Are you working (volunteer or paid) to answer your purpose?
• If not, what’s your greatest fear from taking the leap?