Personal resilience, Day 11 – 16th of March 2020

Start with why

Simon Sinek’s  ‘Starting with Why’ is one of the most viewed Ted Talks.  This encourages us to consider why we do what we do rather than what or how we do.  The Ted Talk is aimed at businesses but the same underlying philosophies apply to us as human beings.

“If we live an unconscious life, without purpose, life just happens to us.” Dr Kate Siner

Identifying our purpose takes an investment of time to think deeply about ourselves.  It is a worthwhile exercise as it enables us to bring focus to who we truly are and identify what’s important to us.  It acts as a compass for our decisions and actions.

A good starting point is to answer the following questions for yourself:

1. Why are you?
2. Why do you get up in the morning?
3. What keeps you awake at night?
4. When are you most alive?
5. What does being successful mean to you?
6. How might you apply your strengths to a pursuit that is of deep interest to you and helps others?
7. What can you do to make a difference in one person’s life, today?
8. What is your sentence (meaning, if you summarised your purpose in one 140 character sentence, what would it be)?
9. If you say yes to living purposefully, what do you say no to?
10. If you met an older version of yourself, what sage advice would they give you?

If any of these emails or exercises have affected you and you feel you would like to speak to someone, support is available through RSABI.  You can call them on 0300 111 4166.  Their helpline is open from 7am to 11pm all year.

These resources have been developed by Kim Walker of Advance Consultancy for the Farm Advisory Service.