What is your Why? - Expert Advice
Kaplan Community Plus
➕If you are looking at changing careers, it's always best to determine what your "Why" is. Take a few minutes to watch this video to help you determine your "Why". Our WHY is the thing we give to the world, and we must look inside ourselves to discover it. Share with us your Why.
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I remember the day I discovered my why.. It was an early weekday morning, I arrived to the office 20 minuets before our normal 8:00 a.m. workday began. As I walked to my desk, I glanced around at the empty cubicles beside mine, imagining my fellow teammates: who made my days enjoyable through our brief side conversations as we worked through our projects. I thought about how they ranged in age, some in their mid 20's like myself, others in their 50's. In that moment within my thoughts, my own internal voice asked, "Can I really see myself years from now coming in everyday just to sit and type away at a desk?"
Mixed feelings of despair and guilt came over me. Guilt because I had worked so hard to become an Engineer and it was a great paying career for me considering I'm in my 20's living on my own without financial restrictions. Despair arose within me because I felt like having this great paying career was all I was in it for. From that day forward I felt like an imposter in this career I pursued for years.
I did a bit of soul searching and personal discovery to figure out what I truly loved and what in life exhilarated me. I came to find my "why" in my deep love for people. The only thing that brings me true joy while working on projects wasn't the computations, or beating deadlines for submittals but it was the conversations, the interpersonal interactions with my teammates, even the kick-off meetings and the brief conversations had in the break room while refilling our cups of coffee.
That's when I discovered my "why" is because I want to build relationships. I would love nothing more than to spend my "work" days talking with and meeting new people. Understanding what their needs are and using those problem solving skills to help them. I want to be in a position of serving people in a way that impacts their life for the better; assisting them with the process of finding their forever home or even just sharing knowledge and strategies to help the young 20 year old like myself go from renting to owning their first home. The idea of Real Estate uncovered interests in other areas such as financial coaching - because let's face it, you can't really buy or invest without an understanding of finances. That's when my "why" became bigger than myself, I can pursue financial coaching courses on the side to build financial literacy for myself but to better serve others on my journey. The self improvement I would invest for myself would overflow into the various relationships I will build.
Ultimately, my "why" within my personal life is to be able to retire my parents who came to the United States as immigrants from the islands with little understanding. All my life I watched my parents work tirelessly in order for their children to have a better life and a shot at the American Dream. My "why" is fueled by the belief in myself, considering I beat the statistical odds of my circumstances and my environment, I believe I am destined for greatness. My "why" is simply because I want to one day work not because I have to but because I want to. My "why" is to give back to others through knowledge, opportunities, and resources. I want to impact communities and inspire those who may have a similar situation or story. My "why" is my driving force as I pursue a career in this industry.
The quote I heard through my pre-licensing course has been one I will hold on to for the rest of my life:
"When your why is big enough, you will find your how"
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