“If we want to feel an undying passion for our work, if we want to feel we are contributing to something bigger than ourselves, we all need to know our WHY.”
—Simon Sinek
People often ask, “What do you do?” But they hardly ever ask, “Why do you do it?”
The ‘why’ is often surprisingly elusive.
Over the past few months I’ve been going through a much-needed website rebrand. A process which has pushed me to hone in on my ‘why’ on a much deeper level, so I can clearly communicate what I do and who I’m trying to help.
I can’t wait to show you the final result.
Going Through a Rebrand
Earlier this year I went to my website and imagined myself as a new visitor landing on the page for the first time.
My ‘new visitor’ persona was an accomplished professional who had reached a plateau, and was struggling with self-limiting thought patterns and imposter syndrome.
As I scrolled through the home page, I came away with questions: “But, what does Nancy really do, how can she help me, and why should I care?”
The website didn’t answer those questions quickly enough to keep hold of my eyeballs. It needed WAY more clarity and conciseness.
In addition, the website didn’t reflect my growth over the past few years. Nor did it position me as a keynote speaker who can provide a transformational experience to audiences with my message around the power our thoughts have to hold us back and keep us stuck.
The website represented an older version of me with a less evolved message of how I can help.
That’s when I decided It was time for a site-wide update. New photos, new copy, new offerings. I had the privilege of working with a remarkable photographer and a top-notch design team. Together, we built a new website I’m truly proud of.
The new site will be live soon!
It Starts With Your ‘Why’
What does my website rebrand have to do with finding your ‘why’?
Well, the ‘why’ determines the ‘what.’ I found that I couldn’t really share what I do with clarity, without first figuring out what really lights me up in my work.
That focus helped me realize that, as a musician, I light up when a song or lyric lands with an audience. And that I get the same feeling when speaking or coaching, when someone’s face lights up as an idea clicks.
So, here is my ‘why’: I want to reduce the suffering that I see people subject themselves to in the form of self-doubt, low confidence, and sub-par performance (to name a few).
This is the driver behind everything I do. Because I spent decades of my life stuck in negative inner dialogue, feeling less-than, small, like I couldn’t do it.
I was able to change all of that by changing my thought patterns. And when I did, I committed to helping other people do the same thing.
Only after I pinpointed my ‘why’ was I able to focus on the rest of my message and how it shows up in my website copy.
But it doesn’t stop at the website.
My ‘why’ influences how I show up in every area of my business and interact with the people around me. And I think that’s true for many of us—whether you run your own business or work for someone else.
When our actions and our ‘why’ are aligned, that’s when we feel the most fulfilled in our role.
Do you have a ‘why’ that impacts how you show up at work? I’d love to hear about it.
