The question that has plagued me for much of my life is, why do I do what I do? Have you ever asked yourself that question? I don’t know about you, but stuff comes out of my mouth, and I often ask, why did I say that? Regularly after I have done something, I ask, why did I do that? Even as I am doing things, or not doing things as the case may be, I am asking myself, why am I doing this, and why don’t I stop (or start)? Do you know what I am talking about? Well, I finally have the answer to that age-old question, why do I do what I do? I hope you are ready.
Everyday for me is another day to become a better human being, and I know this will be a lifelong journey. I read, I listen, I ask, I observe, I try things, and I fail often. I am very grateful to my church, as the leaders gave each of the members a copy of a book called, The Power to Change, by Craig Groeschel. Within just a few pages, I knew this was going to be a transformational read, and it has been already. It was in the first chapter that the key statement was presented to explain why we do what we do. You want to know what that is, don’t you? If I give you the answer now, you may not keep reading, so I am going to keep you guessing for a short while. Sorry, hehe.
What I will do is describe scenarios that have played out in my life, for both destruction and betterment. As you may know, I call myself an unlikely athlete and an accidental author. I lost my professional footballing career, and became a best-selling author for the same reason, just different application in each case. I aspired to be a professional footballer from a young age, and my entire motivation was to prove to myself and the world that I was good enough. Clearly, that is not how I felt about myself at the time. Whilst I worked hard, and I made it to the top level of the sport, I never really felt good enough. I never felt like I was a professional athlete, in fact, I felt like an imposter. I was just waiting to be found out, and guess what? I was. Just two weeks after playing in a grand final for the club, I read in the paper that I had been de-listed. In plain terms, that means I was sacked. My career was over. Why? Hold that thought.
When I made the decision to write my first book, the odds were seemingly stacked against me. No time, no skills, no background, no qualifications, and no idea what it would take to become a best-selling author. Again, I had a burning desire, but it was different to the one that drove me to be a professional athlete. It was a desire to impact lives, mine included. So, as I negotiated the doubts in my mind as to whether I could write a book, because I had not done any writing, or even ever wanted to, I came to a conclusion about myself. I recognized I was a communicator. I was a personal trainer, I was a speaker, and every day I communicated with people about how to live a better life. With that in mind, I started the process and, against the odds, wrote a best-selling book. Today, twenty years after that was published, my life transformed, I am still writing books and still loving it. How did that happen? Get ready for the answer.
In both cases, I clearly had the ability to be a professional athlete and a best-selling author. So, why did one crash and one flourish? Why did I do what I did in both cases? As an athlete, I sabotaged myself, and as an author I created and nurtured myself. Why the difference? It all comes back to the same question, why do you and I do what we do? As an athlete, I never really felt I was good enough or worthy of being there. As an author, I knew I was a great communicator and knew I could change lives. Are you ready? Here it comes. The moment you have been waiting for. Why you do what you do.
You do what you do, because of what you think of you!
Should I say that again? You do what you do, because of what you think of you. The actions you take will only move you to the life you want based on the beliefs you have about yourself. You can never outwork low self-worth. You can never beat yourself up and achieve success. I tried for so much of my life and always found myself lost, broke, alone, or sacked. You can start a course of actions because you want a result, but if you don’t believe you are the person worthy of that result, or the person who would achieve that result, it will not happen.
That just means you may have to change what you think of you. The moment you start believing you are a healthy person and worthy of it, you will be more consistent with your exercise regime and eating plan. The instant you start to believe you add value to the world, and are deserving of abundance, you will start doing the things that will bring abundance to you. The second you believe you are capable of loving and worthy to be loved, you will find a new partner, or improve your current relationship. The minute you believe you are a caring, giving, and friendly person, you will start to build sustaining and fulfilling connections with people. Are you getting my drift?
It matters less what you do, and more about what you think of you. In my podcast this week called, Do the inner work, Andrew Stevens and I discuss this exact topic. I know you want more in some areas of your life. What I would ask you to do is reflect on what you think about you in that particular area. What do you say about you? Is it loving, encouraging, and empowering? Or, is it the opposite? If you need to change it, do the inner work now. Always remember, you do what you do because of what you think of you.