“Some men see things as they are, and say why. I dream of things that never were, and say why not.”

- George Bernard Shaw

Are we there yet? In the last post, we talked about drilling down and going in a little deeper to find your “why” by utilizing the 5 Why Strategy. In this post, we’ll dive a little more into the role your feelings play in the “why” aspect of your journey.

Emotional intelligence is an absolute must in the process of manifesting your “where”. The power of feelings and emotions in your “why” makes your “why” both more flexible and your accountability partner. Your “why” is flexible in a couple of ways. It, if it’s big enough, will keep you grounded and centered. How you feel about your “why” should be used as fuel to keep you on the path. Your feelings should be in the gas tank, not in the driver's seat. Emotion shouldn’t be the reason you make decisions but should be what pushes you over the finish line. That’s not an easy process when it comes to decision-making. It’s easy to get them mixed up and one of the simplest ways to know if you’ve gotten them mixed up is clouded judgment. Clouded judgment will cause your “where” to become a blur and it’s the quickest way to throw yourself off your course. However, when you’re using your feelings as fuel, it will sharpen your vision and you’ll see your “where” crystal clear. How you feel about your “why” should create the kind of resolve that says, come hell or high water, I will reach my “where”. That should in turn create a kind of internal accountability. In my lifetime, I’ve had more than a few mentors and accountability partners. The one thing I’ve learned is this, external accountability without internal accountability creates an opportunity for friction in your relationships.

I want to encourage you to challenge yourself and begin to define your “why”. By now you should have a list of emotions and feelings associated with your “why”. If not, start that list as soon as you can. That list will play a key role on your road to your “where”. There are days I look back over my life and I remember exactly how I felt about situations that I absolutely did not want to repeat. There are also the memories of the victories in my life that lend to the feelings of confidence that encourage me to continue to grow. The clearer your convictions are about your “why”, the clearer you can articulate and apply the feelings you’ll need for the fuel on your journey. Let’s utilize our emotions in the literal sense. Let’s put our energies in a forward motion towards our “where” and achieve our goals for 2022 together.

Well, until next week my friend. I look forward to jumping back into the “Why” of things with you.

Chris Chaney

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, do more, and become more, you are a leader...”

- John Quincy Adams

4.19.22