The first time I heard someone talk about whys or ask what's your why? was a few years back. Jared Grossman spoke of it on a video on his YouTube channel. I didn't really get what he meant. Then today I was eyeing the meatheals.com website (where people post their testimonials about the carnivore diet) and read about a man named Adam Hagen who was talking about his why.
This time it clicked. Adam's post was fairly long and I was only eyeing it but the moment I saw the words in the beginning of one particular chapter, they just jumped up. I knew exactly what he meant.
Back in the day when I first listened to Jaret's videos my motivation to stay healthy and take care of myself wasn't as strong as it is now. Back then, I exercised with ease and ate according to whateveral diet I was doing at the time - probably low fat since my weight was yoyoing a lot. Since then I've tried Atkins (in an unhealthy way), then veganism (again in an unhealthy way, loads of processed foods, ended up gaining a lot of weight), then omnivorism (gained weight), then paleo, then calorie counting, then keto, then carnivore. My why (if you can even call it that) was to lose weight and look as stunning as I did when I was 23.
Mind you, when I was 23, I ate very little and very low fat, went to the gym five times a week, and ended up weighing 117 lb (as a 5'6'' woman). I have a picture of myself from that time. I admit, I looked good. I don't remember if I felt good, though. A couple of months back, I tried eating the way I used to when I was 23 - to see if I could look that good again. I couldn't keep up with it, though. I could feel something was wrong. But I stuck with it for a few days until I had a nervous breakdown. (Nothing that some fatty salmon couldn't fix, though.)
I admit I'd want to look good again. But I'd rather not feel bad. I'd rather look a little worse and feel good than look stunning and feel terrible. Losing weight and looking like that 23-year-old self is no longer my why.
If you think about it, you could come up with several whys to motivate you to do the things you know you should do. I know I did - I got like three or four strong whys for taking care of my health. But whatever your agenda might be, try to narrow the whys down to one. It's much easier for your subconscious to accept if you give it one definitive why. All other whys are secondary.
To live longer? To be able to reproduce? To provide for your children? To achieve your goals? To make a lot of money? To look good? To feel good? To become smarter? To make your parents proud? To land a job? To find a mate? To be happy? To make the world a better place?
Whatever your list, one should immediately feel more powerful than the others.
That's your why.
RK
