Hi there,

Do you ever give yourself enough quite time for ideas to surface? If you are anything like me, always on the go, capturing ideas on the fly in an Evernote app to reference later. I have discovered over time that creative time needs to be scheduled to develop a concept beyond an idea. Give yourself the space to create and ideas to surface and your vision to formulate into setting goals and plans.

Which leads me on to one of my favourite topics your vision and your why. There’s a lot of confusion around vision and why statements. They’re concepts that are often used interchangeably, but I believe have significant differences. Nail both, and your business will be all the stronger for it.

It’s no secret that one of the most enjoyable parts of my role as a holistic business coach is to help women in business uncover their vision. A vision states a desired future position. It has a ‘tomorrow’ focus and is aspirational, and by their very nature, inspirational.

The ‘why’ is more grounded in both what’s possible and what is. No doubt you’ve seen that TED Talk. It’s been an absolute game changer for so many people and businesses, big and small, and I personally love it because Simon Sinek explores the emotional connection that is enabled by a clearly articulated why.

The why is inspirational and motivational. It drives us towards our vision which outlines what we want to achieve by clearly defining why we want that. It’s a way for people to connect with your brand, your business and your message and is often much bigger than any specific business goal.

When the why is clear, a business becomes compelling and captivating. Typically, it focusses on a human outcome which is not time based and verbalises a deeper reason for your professional life other than money. It also centres on essentially what lights you up, both professionally and personally, and equally aligns to the needs, wants, loves and pinpoints of your clients.

My why forms the basis of my tagline. At the core, I want to help female solopreneurs to live a life they love. I’ve seen too many women burn themselves out and I know from both personal and professional experience that there is a better way. My why drives everything I do in my business and it’s what energises me and inspires my work.

My vision, on the other hand, which details what I want to achieve in my business, embeds that why, and gives it a measurable target and a goal to work towards. See the distinction?

I'm sure you are on the same page of wanting to do work that’s meaningful and contributing to something bigger than ourselves. When you have clarity and commitment to your why, the how, what and when becomes much more seamless. Check out the abovementioned TED talk if you haven't already tuned in.

If you’d like some support clarifying your why, I’d love to work with you. Just reach out.

A final note on quiet time, silence offers opportunities for self-reflection and daydreaming, which activates multiple parts of the brain. It gives us time to turn down the inner noise and increase awareness of what matters most.

Happy daydreaming!

>>>Do you ever give yourself enough quiet time for ideas to surface?

@jo_grist

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