You’ve been lead astray for years by the personal development / business development community.
“Start with WHY!” they say.
“Know your vision!”
“Work towards your big dream!”
And in response, so many people stick their gaze firmly in their navel—and leave it there. They spend years trying to figure out what their Great Work is, while staying in jobs, businesses, lives that don’t serve them.
It’s not that these statements are wrong.
There’s nothing like the feeling of being completely aligned with your Great Work. It’s awesome and amazing.
And it’s also completely unnecessary to success.
The Myth of The One Thing
How long have you been trying to define your vision? To figure out your Great Work? How has not having these answers held you back?
The fact is—clarity comes AFTER action, not before.
You’re never going to find your Great Work without going out and doing a bunch of things.
Worse, if you don’t develop a bias for action NOW, when you do find your Great Work you’re going to find it almost impossible to engage in—not just because of the finances—but also because of the momentum you need to build.
We throw the word “momentum” around a lot—but let’s get super clear on this. By definition, momentum doesn’t begin where it ends. You don’t jump straight to the avalanche, to the tsunami.
Everything starts with the smallest of actions.
Whether you’re in a place of having no idea what your Great Work is, whether you have a hunch that you’re following, or whether you’ve had the breakthrough and you know where you’re going with it—the answer is simple:
Start Small.
I know, right? Totally the opposite of everything you’ve heard.
You’re told to take massive action, to dream big, to have a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Go big or go home! Be a BAWS!
And yet, the vast majority of success I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a lot—both personally and through study. This is a topic I’ve spent my entire life researching.) has started with small actions. Often, those actions are taken with absolutely no idea of where the momentum is heading.
Oh sure, retrospectively, we all like to pretend it was intentional.
“I knew exactly what I was doing from the moment I laid my foot on the path!”
To be fair, sometimes it feels that way. When you get to that point of “success”, you’ve been engaged in The Work for so long, it’s hard to remember how you felt the day you started.
If you could travel back in time and watch so many of your heroes when they took that first step on the path you’d realise:
They stepped into the abyss.
They knew they wanted something but they didn’t know exactly what.
They didn’t have their “why” yet. They weren’t sure of the vision.
Rather than sit around and think about it, they took a step. They did A THING, instead of worrying about “The Thing”.
They made a call. They wrote a sentence. They took a small step that eventually snowballed into something huge.
Success isn’t a single action. It’s the cumulative effect of hundreds of small steps.
The imperfect small step taken today is more effective than the perfect small step being taken tomorrow.
In the Beginning…
In November this year, I’ll have been running my business for 10 years. It’s only in the last 9 months that I’ve figured out what I want to be when I grow up.
It’s driven me crazy for a decade. I’ve been looking for it the whole time. But I haven’t allowed the search for it to stop me from doing things.
My Great Work wasn’t a sudden epiphany. It came out of me getting fed up with not having the answer. So I committed to figuring out the answer by DOING things.
I supported Everclear’s crowdfunding campaign for their latest album and had the opportunity to meet one of my teenage heroes.
I became a patron to Amanda Palmer on Patreon so that I could support the work of someone whose art I really respect.
While we were in the US in April, we made a detour to Vegas for the weekend to celebrate my birthday and met a bunch of really cool people which gave me some massive breakthroughs.
All of these things were crucial elements in giving me the direction I needed.
However, no one of them alone would have gotten me there.
Perhaps more importantly—every single one of them was only possible due to having way more money in the bank account than I would have if I’d been in a day job.
You see, I haven’t waited for clarity around my Great Work to create a business that makes good money.
If I had, I would never have gained said clarity.
I’ve taken so many “wrong” small steps over the years.
I’ve engaged in work that wasn’t worthy of me. I’ve engaged in work that didn’t bring me alive. I’ve taken clients on and helped them because I needed the money. I’ve stuck my head in the sand around things I needed to deal with. I’ve hired people who lacked integrity.
If there’s a mistake that could be made, I’ve made it. I’ve paid the price for all of them.
But every step, wrong or otherwise, has led me to this point.
So in that way, every step has been right.
And they were so tiny in the beginning.
Signing up to a freelancing website. Applying for a job on Guru. Writing an article for $45.
I knew the steps would lead somewhere. I just had no idea where.
Where Are You Going?
You’re trying to peek at the end of the story. You want to know that everything is going to be okay. You want to know how it’s going to turn out before you start.
But life doesn’t work that way.
The clarity, the certainty, the success—they all come AFTER the leap.
If you want them, you have to have the courage to step out into the abyss, and the sanity to do it in a small way.
You don’t have to sell the house. You don’t need to invest your life savings. The big, grand gestures are rarely the ones that pay off.
Take the small step. The small action. Do the small thing.
Keep doing them.
Keep getting better at them.
And the rest will work itself out.
I love so much of this, AND yet think there’s a big missing connection. [disclaimer: I write and teach about starting with WHY quite a lot, so am a fan of it, yet maybe there’s a perspective here that can complement and expand how we’re looking at it]
I believe that starting with the Why is very different than how you describe it, and pretty essential. It’s actually not about about big picture definition of what you ultimately want to BE or produce or accomplish- those are all WHATs, not WHYs. What to create, what to be, what to produce…
Yet WHY is both deeper than that, yet also more fleeting- both actually necessary before diving in to anything (hence starting with Why as a good thing)…
It’s deeper, because asking “Why am I going to do this?” before doing it is healthy- it can help you get clear on whether you actually SHOULD do it or not- should take the leap or not. “Because it sounds really fun and compelling to me” is just as great of an answer as “because its my grand purpose,” yet “because I’m supposed to do it, although I think it’s mularchy” is an answer which should give me pause and be a flag that maybe I shouldn’t be doing it.
Why is fleeting too, because starting with WHY in doing anything can be incidental yet clarifying- like starting a meeting to say “The purpose of this meeting is to decide XXX..” or explaining a project piece to a teammate by starting with “We’re doing this piece here because…”- important WHY’s which aren’t grand and philosophical, but orienting and helpful.
That said, I agree about taking steps! So often the WHY is s pull to things which end up revealing a bigger pattern of what I needed to learn and experience to find.
I agree with you Sarah. Some of the Why points are missed. I can understand some of the points being made, but this post doesn’t make sense in the Start with Why sense.
Rob – that’s because, although the title of the article is obviously a play on Sinek’s work, it’s not actually about Sinek (whose work I really enjoy).
It’s about the people selling this idea of only taking inspired action.
So, you’re using “Why” as a goal setting / outcome thing – my concept around the “why” is a bit different.
In this article, I’m not talking about setting and achieving goals, or having a reason to do stuff (you’re always going to need that) – I’m talking about the idea that’s sold throughout this industry that you HAVE to have an Earth-shattering, passion driven over-arching reason behind your business. The people who say “Take massive action” or “have big, hairy audacious goal”.
I teach a slightly different concept to “Why” – which is Great Work. It’s a form of “Why”, but it also is quite different. Great Work is about your reason for being on Earth – not just “hey this is a bit fun” or “I care about my family”, both valid enough reasons to drive yourself – but the thing you are dedicated to becoming excellent at. Your 8 Percent Work.
Either way, my point is this – uninspired action beats procrastination.
You don’t need a Why to start making money – yes, it’s obviously WAY better to have something driving you. There is nothing better than being engaged in your Great Work. Everyone wants to be there – it’s the greatest place to be.
But starting small and doing something beats waiting for the perfect inspiration to hit.
I agree with Sarah and with Rob. I am disappointed with this essay for some of these reasons they state. First, using a play on Sinek’s book (which Leela in a later comment says she loves) to get us to read this is very misleading. To say “don’t start with why” suggests there is an alternative to Sinek’s approach. That is not what is presented here, so I feel a bit cheated. More importantly, however, I think a lot of people DO have a “why,” but they don’t yet have a name for it (yet?) and they have yet to articulate it. Mozart, I’m sure, had a “why.” It was irresistible. He might have played around with this instrument or that voice…whatever. But, even if he did take “baby steps” along the way, there were each in honor of the WHY that perhaps was unnamed. And some people can take all the steps they want, big or small, but they will never be “visionary.” They might be the great “how” person in scheme of things. Nothing wrong with that.
How did you miss the alternative?
There’s absolutely an alternative here. Which is: don’t start with your big, earth shattering “Why” – start small. Do a thing. And worry about the Why later …
I say that, in different ways, 5 times in the article …
I like the way you’re disappointed in the “essay”, and then you just reiterate everything the article says as though it’s what was missing from said article.
My apologies for offending or irritating you, Ms. Cosgrove. You might have made a point 5 times in the article. I disagree 5 times. And you seem not to like the word “essay.” Sorry about that, too. I see you prefer “article.” Fine. Yes, I am disappointed, because I was hoping for a more revelatory point than “don’t worry.” Before I say any more, I wonder if those who agree with you are younger, or early in their careers, and those who question some of your views are further along and feeling “accomplished.”
Regardless, I remain confused by your article and by your response to me and to others. If one gets up in the morning, raring to go, then she or he has a “why.” “Going out and doing a bunch of things” is not particularly useful advice. If, for you, “clarity comes after action,” then those actions were (whether you could put your finger on it or not) in support of a vision or a “why.” If you feel some internal drive and gratification, then these small steps or “bunches of things,” ARE the steps you are taking toward the vision. I agree with a previous comment by Sarah Singer-Nouri suggesting that the way you are using “why” is very different from how most others use it. Perhaps, in my previous post, I should have said simply that I agree with her 100% and left it there. But, I didn’t and now I’ve raised your ire. Sorry about that.
I stuck one foot in my mouth. Might as well stick the other in: You struggled, according to your article, for 10 or more years before your “why” emerged. I would guess that you had a “why” already. You just did not have a name for it. If your point in this essay is to advise us follow our bliss and to not worry about “naming our why,” then that’s one thing (I would say, though, that this bliss IS your “why”). If, on the other hand, your point, as reflected in the title of your piece and the content of your article, is to say more or less “don’t worry, be happy,” then I say this piece is misleading and not particularly helpful. But, it did get me to read it.
I do not agree that “Great Work is about your reason for being on Earth.” Well, it might be about yours. For me, “great works” are the WHAT and the HOW, not the WHY. You say that Ms. Singer-Nourie is using “why” as a “goal/outcome thing”. I’m sorry, but “why” is not that at all. The outcome thing is the “what” or these “great works.” The “why” is in the gut, in the soul. It is what makes those works great.
You know, I welcome and enjoy rigorous debate of ideas.
However, your goal is to ‘debunk’ my article by arguing that my definitions of words are incorrect – which would matter if the article was about the literal meaning of these words. But it’s not. It’s about the concepts these words represent, which is why I go to pains to explain what I mean, contextually and conceptually, by each word.
While I believe semantics are important – they are, after all, the meaning part of language – you’re merely nit-picking in order to try to assert some kind of intellectual superiority.
Whether I use the word “Why” or something else, is irrelevant – particularly when I’ve explained what I mean by “Why”. The same goes for Great Work. When I discuss your GREAT WORK, I mean – your reason for being put on Earth. So, you can’t disagree with that. You can go ahead and give it any name you want, but I laid the definition out clearly.
Your entire argument consists of:
“Your definition of the word is wrong and therefore your ideas are wrong.”
But the ideas are based on MY definitions, not on your definitions.
To say the idea is wrong because you define the word differently is ridiculous.
If I call it gravity and you call it blue, it doesn’t change the fact that if you walk off a cliff you’re going to fall down.
Semantics are important for communication – which is why I explain my definitions throughout the article.
So really, wants the point of your comment?
Other than to tell me I’m using words “wrong”, when throughout the article I acknowledge that the words have different meanings for different people by taking time to explain my definition of each?
You have seriously made my day, nay, my life!! Finally – feeling free to NOT have the Big Idea, my Dreams in reality and not let that hang like a noose around my neck! I kind of figured this out, well, more like took the path of just doing some things with no idea how they would end up, at the beginning of the year and I have found to my surprise at how much more I am focused, inspired, energised and enthusiastic at even the things that I hated to do previously – who’d of thunk it!! This validation has elevated me from hopeful, to today euphoric! Thank you!
So happy to hear that, Veronica!
Enjoy the journey. Most people get super anxious to know their Great Work like, yesterday … but the journey of discovery is AMAZING and fun and people are often off in their heads missing it. 🙂
Boom! Inspired action is where its at. Thank you for this brilliant bit of candid wisdom.x
This statement is what caused me to click through and read your post: “You’re told to take massive action, to dream big, to have a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Go big or go home! Be a BAWS!”
I completely agree that when people approach their dreams having the burden of it being a “big” dream can be counter-productive and paralyzing. I don’t care if my clients dreams are big or small, they just need to be authentically THEM!
I’m not opposed to starting the vision process in the early stage of idea development. It inspires a lot of people to take action. I think the visioning process is good practice and the insights are valuable. The problem, as I see it, is when we take our initial vision and feel we need to stay the course, regardless of what our experiences are telling us. After we take ACTION things get clearer, refined. So I say, use the vision, but don’t let it be fixed. Taking action via small steps will always lead to more clarity, more refinement, and allows our purpose to crystallize. It’s not a linear process, it’s cyclical and always expanding us towards new possibilities.
I love Small Steps (Kaizen-Muse). Overemphasizing the results we want (and the vision) can keep people stuck. What lights us up now is what can get us moving.
Thanks for sharing your perspective on this! It’s refreshing!
Great article Leela. So I suppose the next question after this revelation, is what is ‘the failures guide to success’ ..I too am a speaker and solutionist and often espouse the saying ‘fail fast’…yet the sequence of failure is still hazy..I’d love to hear your feedback