Why You Should Focus on Your ‘Why’: Your Inner Reason Matters More Than You Think

I have been thinking a lot about my WHY lately.

This morning, while sipping coffee and watching the sky change from grey to gold, I asked myself the question I often avoid when I feel a bit lost - Why do I want what I say I want?

It is such a small word — why — but it’s the anchor for everything.

I used to set goals just to tick boxes. Lose weight. Get up earlier. Write more. Sell more. But when the motivation dipped (and it always did), I blamed my discipline, not my direction. I thought something was wrong with me.

What I didn’t realise at the time is that I wasn’t lacking willpower — I was lacking a reason. A real reason. Something that reached beyond the surface and rooted me in purpose.

Now, before I go after any goal — whether it's building a business, choosing what to create next, or deciding how I want to spend my time — I start with my “why.”

And here’s what I’ve learned.

Why your “why” matters

Your “why” is the emotional engine of your goal. It's what keeps you moving when you're tired, bored, confused, or tempted to quit. It’s the feeling behind the outcome.

When I say I want to build income from digital products, that’s not the real goal. The real goal is peace of mind. Autonomy. The freedom to say yes or no without checking my bank balance first.

That’s my why. It’s emotional. It’s honest. And when I lose sight of it, everything starts to feel heavy.

How to find your “why” (for real)

If you’ve ever written journal entries about your goals and still felt stuck, try going deeper. These prompts help me get to the root of it:

• “What will having this do for me emotionally?”

• “If I never achieve this, what would I miss out on?”

• “Is this something I want, or something I think I should want?”

• “When have I felt this need before?”

Sometimes I ask, “Whose voice is this?” Just to check that the goal belongs to me, not some version of me trying to please others.

Grab a notebook and write the question: Why do I want this? Keep writing until something clicks. You can download the free worksheet at the end of this blog post.

It might not show up on the first page — but it’s in there. Your job is to sit still long enough to hear it.

Why this works

When your goal is connected to a meaningful reason, everything changes.

You stop needing outside validation.

You stop comparing your path to someone else’s.

You can weather the hard days because you know what you’re building towards means something.

And maybe the best part? You don’t waste energy chasing things you don’t actually want.

That, for me, has been the biggest shift.

A reminder for today

If you’re struggling to stay motivated, you’re not lazy. You’re probably just disconnected from your “why.”

Pause. Revisit the reason. Rewrite it if you need to.

Your “why” doesn’t have to be big or bold. It just needs to feel true.

And if all you know right now is that you want more ease, more joy, or more room to breathe — that’s enough.

Start there.

Reflective Prompts to Try This Week:

What goals in my life feel heavy right now and is it because I’ve lost sight of my “why”?

When I think about something I want, what is the emotional reason underneath it?

Whose voice is shaping my current goals - mine, or someone else’s expectations?

How would my daily choices shift if I rooted them in peace of mind, joy, or autonomy instead of surface results?

If I wrote down my top three “whys” today, what would they be and how do they align with the life I’m trying to build?

p.s. For more reflective tools and downloads, register for an account.