For those of you who have recently kept the company of a 3 or 4 year old child, you’ll know the constant asking of “why….but why?!” can get under your skin. But, there’s wisdom in the child’s curiosity.
In business, it is essential we make time to stop, tap into that ‘inner child curiosity’ and ask ourselves “why”?

What’s your “big why”?
Understanding the things that drive you, ignite your passion and the reasons behind why you do what you do is vital. That is the value in asking yourself “why”.

Why am I doing this?
Why does it matter?
Why do I care?
Why does my heart tell me this is right for me and the people I love and serve?

Asking these questions gives you a strong sense of connection to a greater purpose or legacy and it focusses you on the difference you are here to make.

I recently had just such an experience when reflecting on why I worked so hard to create success in business. It seemed I was making a difference in everyone else’s life and yet I wasn’t clear about how I was changing my own. So, I went back to the “Big Why” drawing board. Why am I really in business and indeed why am I in this world?

The answer dramatically changed both my business and my life.

My “why reflections” reconnected me with the legacy I wish to leave the world, which is to change the lives of children, preferably thousands of them. So, I brought SuperCamp to Australia for the first time ever.

This is the world’s leading personal leadership and academic acceleration programme for children which has been running in the US, Canada, Asia and Europe for 32 years and won the acclaim of the great thought leaders of our time including the late Steven Covey, Jack Canfield, Roger Hamilton, Blair Singer among others.

For 18 years people have tried to set this programme up in Australia without success and at first I wasn’t sure HOW I would do it. I mean if all those who had gone before me had failed, who was I to think that I could achieve this (have any of you had a little voice that sometimes says ‘who do you think YOU are, possibly in a less than flattering tone?!)

All I knew was WHY I wanted to do it – to give children a unique opportunity to better understand the truth of which they are and to share their unique gifts with the world!

The mistake of asking How
Had I spent too much time thinking about “how” I would make it happen, I might never have got started. By focussing on the WHY, the passion that burns in my heart to create wonderful expereinces for children, I not only attracted the right opportunities, people and resources, I did it in just 6 months!

All too often, especially when things aren’t going quite according to plan, we ask ourselves how we can change, how we can fix things, how we can achieve the desired outcome. Yet, asking “how” questions from a place of uncertainty, doubt or struggle will only get us more of the same – uncertainty, doubt and struggle!

Last week Joey talked about being in flow, and nothing will pull you out of flow in business and in life, quite as quickly as getting hung up on the how questions. It is essential we raise our sights to consider the greater purpose, the good we are doing and the difference we are making in the world.

The energy of “why”
When you connect to the greater good that you serve in business and in life, you tap into a unique form of energy and motivation. When I saw the incredible changes that took place in the lives of the children who attended the inaugural SuperCamp Australia programme in April 2012, I was literally moved to tears.

Now, whenever I have one of those days that it all seems too challenging and I am left wondering how I’ll cope, I simply take a moment to remind myself of WHY I do what I do. The images of a huge group of children changing and blossoming passes gracefully though my mind and I am “re-minded” of the difference I am here to make.

There’s an incredible energy that comes from knowing you are on purpose, your path is clear, you are making your difference and your legacy is being served.

Good for the soul and good for business
One of the rather lovely side effects of connecting with your why, your purpose and your legacy is that it feeds your soul. Imagine every day you rise with a softness in your heart, a clarity of focus and a spring in your step. It’s good for business, it’s good for your own soul, and it’s very good for the people who love you.

In fact, not only have I successfully set up 2 SuperCamp programmes in Australia, the second one being just weeks away, I have also doubled the income on the other side of my business too.

Let’s face it, when you’re in flow you’re in flow! Serving the higher purpose for which you were put here will drive the success of your business in a whole new way.

Perhaps most importantly, it will leave you feeling invigorated and rejuvenated as you make an even bigger difference in the world.

What’s your “big why” and how does your business grow your legacy?

Heather Yelland‘s work is beyond change management, beyond workplace relations, beyond team building and beyond productivity – it is perhaps best described by her clients who coined the term “the emotional enterprise specialist”. She also now applies this same revolutionary approach to delivering life changing programmes to children and their families.

Young lives have transformed because of what she has taught and shared at SuperCamp Australia. If you’d like to know more about Heather’s legacy and discover the success of her programme, you can download a copy of the Outcome Report, which chronicles the success achieved by these incredible young people here