Balancing Your Business "Why" With Your Personal "Now"

We’ve heard that it all starts with “why.” We need to know what we are both working for and working toward in order to be most productive.

My “Why”

Even as I sit here at my desk in a tiny closet in military housing, listening to my girls giggling their little heads off, all I want to do is get out of this hole and go hang out with them. But right above my computer screen sits my “why,” and I am grounded. I know what I am working toward. I know why I am spending time in here while they are out there, living their best lives. It’s for them, their future.

But it’s also for me, right now.

Working on my real estate portfolio, and building my legacy, drives me every day.

We will all move on from this life someday. I am faced with a potentially fatal heart condition that could make today that day. And that is terrifying. Debilitating, even. Sometimes all I want to do is bury myself in my bed and cry.

But it is also liberating, and incredibly motivating.

I sleep better at night knowing that I am working on something I can physically hand down to my girls. This big goal is what keeps me moving forward. I know that when I am gone, I will have taught them the value of hard work and the ability to commit to something and see it through. And as a bonus, I get to hand them a tangible and valuable asset: my portfolio.

What I do every day centers around my “why,” and I am grounded in the future that I am working toward.

Finding Your “Why”

Your “why” is basically your overarching purpose, your belief that motivates and pushes you every day. This is what drives you!

We are constantly told to make this big and commit to it. The bigger the better, right? The higher we reach now, the more we will achieve. It makes sense—until it doesn’t.

When this completely overtakes you, it is almost impossible to be in the present and enjoy the journey. This can be a huge problem, and potentially make you want to quit.

Remembering the Now

Your “why” tends to be very future-oriented, and sometimes you can totally miss the present. The present can become nothing more than collateral.

But you do not need to sacrifice the now for your future. What you do need is discipline, and you need consistency. But you also need to give yourself some room to do and live out the things that you are hoping for in the future.

If you give yourself some spending money to buy the nice things that you want in your future, or to travel, or to just enjoy some of the luxuries that you see yourself enjoying down the road, you can have a real reminder of what you are working toward. And this can drive you further, faster, and harder.

This very true and tangible thing can become a huge motivator and can allow you to truly live here right now while driving you to reach your future.

So, right now, when you are stuck at home, and motivation is tough to harness, cut yourself a little slack. Give yourself a chance to truly take in what you are working for. Allow this to recharge you and keep you moving forward.

How did you find your “why?”

Share your story in the comments.

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.