Episode 1:

Find Your Purpose in the Why Not The What

*This is pretty much a milestone episode because it’s #1. Thank you so much for being here. And on today’s show, we are talking about a question I used to hate being asked.

*But, it’s essential in identifying our purpose.
And for that reason, I am going to ask you the dreaded question …”What’s your why?”

*The funny thing about our purpose is that it is the reason we all question our existence. The “Why am I here?” Question.

* But really, I think we’re asking the wrong WHY question. It’s not about WHY am I here? It’s WHY do I do what I do?

*I never had to really think about my why until last year. I went to a writer’s conference, and they told me to find my why and it will drive everything I do. And if I ever forget why I do what I do, go back to my WHY and I’ll figure it out.

*It kind of frustrated me. I never tied finding my WHY to realign my purpose. “Find my why?” I thought I had a good enough reason to be at the conference without having to explain myself.

*But the truth is, I really struggled with that question. I never liked people telling me I had to find my WHY.

*Maybe I was rebellious, I don’t know.

*But, as time went on, I realized what they meant. My WHY isn’t for anyone else but me. And your WHY isn’t for anyone else but you. And in order to understand why finding out why our WHY is so important in finding our purpose, we need to take a closer look at what a WHY is.

What is a WHY?

*The WHY is the reason we do what we do. Most of the time we can tell people WHAT we do. We can tell them WHEN we do it. But how easy is it to tell them the WHY?

*I really had to pray about this. I want my WHY to be for the right reasons. I want to inspire others out of a heart of love for both God and the person who hears me speak.

*And the truth of the matter is, my WHY hasn’t always been for the right reasons. I asked myself .. WHY did I become a teacher? Was it out of love for my students? Or was it to get 3 months off out of the year?

*Why did I start a blog? Is it because I want to inspire women to live for God and fulfill their purpose? Or to put my opinions out in the world?

*Why do I speak God’s word? Is it so I can stand on a stage and be seen?

*Why did I start a podcast? So my name can be tied to one more thing?

*Really!! I started to evaluate WHAT I do and ask myself WHY I do it.

Your beliefs are the foundation of your WHY. What do you believe and do your actions match them?

*If I don’t live out my message, my message fails. Your WHY has to be founded on what you believe. I believe in God and His word … my message will reflect that.

Now, you can go take those tests to tell you your personality type and what career choice you should pick. But, I did all of that and none of them helped me. It’s just another straw we grasp at to try and guide our path. But again, God’s word says He directs our paths.

Our WHAT May Change But The WHY Remains The Same.

I always think about David. His purpose was to become a king one day. But that was the end result. His beginning was in a sheep field. To some, they may think these were humble beginnings … and they were. But to God, they were a training ground for the challenges he would face asking.

A lot of times, we want the end result without putting in the training. God doesn’t work that way. In the field, David faced the lion and the bear and God delivered him out of danger. When he faced Goliath, a giant seemed like child’s play to David.

When he went into the palace as a harp player, he learned the ways of royalty. Every experience David had was preparation for the next step until he landed on the throne … ordained and put there by God.

But his WHY??? It was the same as it was in the sheep field … and the same as it was on the battlefield with Goliath … his WHY was because he was a man after God’s heart. His WHY? Because he trusted God. His WHY was because he loved God’s people.

When Your What Changes

My life has changed over the years. I’ve been a stay at home mom, a part-time reading teacher with no contract, a youth pastor, a contracted teacher, a writer, and now a podcaster … but my WHY is the same. God’s word is the only thing in this world that has the power to transform our lives, our purpose and providing a WHY worth speaking out for.

*Your WHY keeps your WHAT from becoming your identity.

How many times do we let WHAT we do define who we are? Oh my gosh, you guys! I am so guilty of this. I had such a difficult time stepping away from teaching to go into full-time ministry.

Being Mrs. Fulbright the 5th-grade teacher gave me a place. It told people who I am before I had a chance to say anything else about myself.

When we allow WHAT we do, our WHAT to become our identity, we’ve lost our WHY. We’ve lost sight of the purpose and the reason God is taking us on this journey in the first place.

Don’t let your WHAT overshadow your WHY.

Find Your Why and Do Something About It

And so, my friend. I want to encourage you to write down your WHAT, your WHEN, your WHERE, and your HOW. And then I want you to mull over your WHY.

Why do you do what you do? And if your answer isn’t satisfactory, I suggest two things: 1) take it to God in prayer. I had to. And I still do.

2) Evaluate what you do and make sure it’s within God’s purpose for you. Don’t sell yourself short. And If you find that your WHY isn’t driven by your beliefs, maybe it’s time to get a new WHY … or maybe even a new WHAT.

*If you enjoyed this episode, I would really love it if you’d follow me @shandafulbright on Instagram and Facebook. For more resources, such as my devotionals, bible studies and more go to shandafulbright.com. Please subscribe to Her Faith Inspires Podcast. If you leave me a review on iTunes it will really help my ratings and I will read it on one of my shows AND love you forever!

*I’ll see you next time. Until then, let’s go out and inspire the world to live out their faith!