I believe each of us has our own why in this life and the further we are pulled away from that why, the less happy we are.
I have gone through a career being pulled away from my why by partners and bosses with a different why. Even with success, I found myself sad, angry, and frustrated. When I pulled away from all partners, I was sure there would be no further distractions between me and my why.
It’s just not true. There are always people pulling at you to compromise your relationship with your why.
The current example in my life is marketing my law firm. I have always been places where I did not need to market myself. To me, working to get clients through dark times to successful resolution was just my job, it wasn’t something to be self-promoted.
But I know I cannot make things better if no one knows who I am or what I stand for. So, I reached out to some marketing companies.
They showed me what other lawyers do. Other Lawyers lead with what they do or how they do it. Big verdicts, big settlements, great results. We mean business. We are tough. We’re serious. This accolade, that accolade.
I realized it is so easy to let other people lead you away from your why. Especially when they are in positions of authority, they are people you trust or people you have paid for what they think. If you are not careful, you are following their why before you know it.
It turns out that most of us market what we do or how we do it. We all have a why, but there are only a few companies, a few people that establish a why, lead with that why, and live that why. None of those things are easy and each is a constant struggle, but if you put in the work to do it and stay true to your why, it leads to the most success and the most happiness.
The strongest why in modern corporate history has been Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs’ core belief was to challenge the status quo by thinking differently about everything all the time. People developed a fierce brand loyalty because his customers believed in thinking different. His customers believed in challenging the status quo.
But Steve’s why was always challenged. People within the company forced Steve out and when they abandoned his why, Apple’s market share and customer loyalty suffered.
Reinstituting Steve and his why made Apple soar. Even now with Steve gone, the people running Apple live and share his why and Apple continues with the same fierce brand loyalty.
People do not buy what we do, they believe in why we do it.
I don’t care who you are or where you reside on the corporate ladder, from the mail room to the board room, we are all in a constant struggle against others trying to pull us away from our why. It can be your coworkers, your boss, the owner, your spouse, your friends, your competitors. Some of these people mean to distract us, but most do not, and they are the most dangerous.
Most people are trying to satisfy their own why and have no idea they are asking us to pull away from ours. In fact, most people think they are helping us as they try and pull us away.
I think that is why I started my YouTube channel and why I am making videos about our why. I need to keep a close relationship with my why so others cannot pull me away. I think it is when we are distracted or we don’t understand our why or we choose to turn away from our why that things get complicated and we lose our way.
So as I thought about marketing my law firm, I really was struggling with a question that has followed me my entire life. Why I have worked so hard for so long to make things better? Why do I continue in this quest?
I realized that at my core, I believe that Better Matters. It matters to make things better. It matters to strive for Better.
Computers have gone from the size of a room to the palm of our hand because better matters. Mail has gone from stagecoach to instantaneous because better matters. Better has mattered throughout human history in every aspect of our lives. Pursuing a life where Better matters is a worthy cause.
How I have chosen to help make things better is by using the law to help people injured or killed by medical negligence. What I do is generate large dollar verdicts and settlements not because the money can replace the damage done, but because I know and I think we all know that doctors and hospitals only make things better when it is in their financial interest to do so. The money is not the primary reason my clients pursue their cases. The money is the reason things get made better.
My clients believe like me that Better Matters and we stand up and fight for this belief every single day.
Finding my why has helped bring clarity and happiness to my life. Sticking to my why is a challenge every day but it is easier now that I have been able to identify my why. What’s your why? I know it’s there. Find it and you will be able to be closer connected and happy more often.
I’m making these posts because Better Matters. It is my hope that those who read will pick up something that helps make their journey better. If you enjoy what we are making, please consider commenting on the blog or subscribing to our YouTube channel. You can find the videos on our YouTube channel or if you want to know more about the law firm, feel free to check out the rest of our website. Be well and thanks for reading.