Do you know why you’re doing what you’re doing?
This isn’t a trick question. If you want to recalibrate your freelancing business, first you need to start by asking yourself some core questions about what you’re doing and where you want to go.
All of us have a purpose in life. It’s the reason we do the things we do, why we’re drawn to living life in a certain way and it affects how we see the world.
When you work for yourself, your purpose is your business mission. What drives you in personal life will also drive your work ambitions and goals. Such an under-celebrated part of freelancing is the fact you get to live and work with intention, purpose and authenticity. You owe it to yourself to spend some time re-visiting what that mission is.
In 2009, the New York Times best-selling author Simon Sinek gave a TED Talk about what sets great leaders apart. He said that the few leaders and organisations who inspire action in people, rather than those that manipulate them, all do so by following the same simple principle. They start with their why.
He developed a model he called the Golden Circle to explain this idea. The Golden Circle (pictured above) puts why at the core. Before you can communicate what you do or how you do it, you first explain why you do it.
“The Golden Circle provides compelling evidence of how much more we can achieve if we remind ourselves to start everything we do by first asking why,” Sinek wrote in his book Start With Why.
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”
– Simon Sinek
The example Sinek gives in his book of the Golden Circle in action is Apple. The company’s why isn’t to sell computers and make a profit, but it’s to “Think Different”. He summarises the process as follows:
“Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. And we happen to make great computers. Wanna buy one?”
When you think about your why, you need to ask yourself some fundamental questions. What is your purpose? What is your cause? What do you believe? Why should anyone care?
🔎 Four steps for finding your freelance mission
So how do you know why you’re doing what you’re doing? These four steps will help you figure that out.
1. Trust that you have a why
All of us have a why, we just struggle to articulate it. Saying out aloud what drives you, what gets you out of bed in the mornings, is an act of vulnerability. It requires you to know yourself and to be honest about who you are at your core.
As you start to reflect on your mission, acknowledge that the process of finding your why isn’t an easy one.
2. Know your strengths
Start by looking for clues as to what your purpose is in the way you already live your life.
Ask yourself: what do you enjoy doing and what are you good at?
The second part of that question is important. Lots of us are good at things but we don’t particularly enjoy doing them.
Drill down and get as specific as possible. For example, if you enjoy building furniture, what specifically about it do you enjoy? Is it the problem-solving? It is using your hands to make something? Is it building furniture for other people?
Make a list with at least five examples of things you’re good at and love doing. The examples should be from a mix of personal and professional. From there, see what patterns and themes emerge.
3. Go outside yourself to get in
You’ll probably need some help getting to your why. We often need someone else to hold up a mirror for us when we’re trying to examine something about ourselves.
This person might be someone you know well. Ask a friend or family member to help you figure out what drives you. They will be a good position to help you make sense of the patterns you see emerging.
Alternatively, you might feel more comfortable talking to someone who doesn’t know you well. A professional mentor or business coach can help with figuring out purpose. You can also get help through your community. Be brave and post in the Slack group looking for a partner to figure out your missions together!
4. Mission into mantra
The ultimate aim of this exercise is to distil your mission into one sentence. A mission sentence, if you will. A line that summarises your purpose and articulates your why.
Here are some examples of mission sentences:
To help others improve their relationships with others, so that they improve their relationships with themselves
To inspire people to do the things that inspire them so that, together, we can change our world
To propel people forward so that they can make their mark on the world
To enable people to be extraordinary so that they can do extraordinary things
Once you’re happy with your sentence, turn it into your mantra. Print it out and stick it above your desk; pin it as a reminder in your phone, even tell the rest of us about it! In living by your mantra, refreshing the rest of your freelancing business will be a breeze.
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