Know & Share Your “Why”
Who, what, where, when & whyyyyyy 🎶 (There’s this melody that always plays in my head when I see those words… I can’t fully remember, but I think it was some kid’s spy movie I saw when I was a kid. If you know, comment below and tell me, it’s going to drive me crazy!)
WELL THE TIP FOR TODAY IS FOCUSED ON THAT LAST WORD, WHY.
AS STORYTELLERS & NONPROFIT OR MINISTRY LEADERS, IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND YOUR “WHY” AND JUST AS IMPORTANT TO SHARE IT.
KNOW & SHARE YOUR “WHY”
WHAT IS YOUR “WHY”
By “WHY” I’m referring to the deeper reason or motivation that drives you in your mission (career, nonprofit goal, etc.) You can think of it as an individual, but I would suggest thinking of it in terms of your organization.
I’ll use myself as an example.
This is what I do: Help nonprofits & ministries tell engaging and effective stories either by coaching them or creating impacting films.
If someone where to ask me why I do that, there could be several answers:
“Because I need to make a living”
“Because I enjoy working in the nonprofit & ministry world”
“Because I have a knowledge and experience that I can help others with”
All of these are legitimate answers, but they stay on the surface level. I could do anything else to make a living, I could do many other jobs in the nonprofit/ministry world, and there are much better paying gigs to share the knowledge and experience I have.
So WHY do I keep doing this work, and why am I so passionate about it?
I could go into a story here that would explain this, but I’ll save that for another time. (You can read about it on my home page.)
The reason I love this work is because it’s meaningful. Telling these impacting stories for other nonprofits and churches is literally helping save lives.
It saves lives of women that have been sex trafficked, it saves lives of orphaned kids in Africa, and it’s bringing people to Jesus- the ultimate salvation!
IMPACTING STORY > AUDIENCE IS MOVED > THEY DONATE OR SPONSOR > MORE PEOPLE ARE RESCUED/SAVED
That’s my HUGE MOTIVATOR. I want my work to be purposeful, and that’s my why. :)
See how much more impacting that is than “I just need to make a living”?
Take a moment to truly think about your WHY, and when you have it, the next step is to SHARE IT.
Share your WHY
Why? (lol, couldn’t help myself)
Because people want to get to know you, and what motivates you. They want to connect with you and the purpose of your organization. Sharing your why can be a huge influence and inspire others to join your cause! That creates loyalty to you and your organization- because what you do matters.
Okay, now I want to hear from you. Let’s put this into practice, common! This will be so beneficial for you guys. Take a minute to think about the deeper reason that drives you/motivates you to continue in your work. (Think of it in terms of your organization.)