At 24, my resume read like a masterclass in Failure:
• School super low achiever
• University dropout (6 days – might be a record)….stocking shelves in a supermarket
• Failed Marines Officer Course after 17 weeks
• Bankrupt entrepreneur from y first travel company (never made it to ´Year 2´)
Major life changes usually happen for one or both of two reasons:
– Rock Bottom:
When the pain becomes unbearable. When the status quo is no longer an option. When change isn’t a choice – it’s survival.
– Compelling Vision:
When your ‘WHY’ becomes so powerful, it pulls you toward a better future. When the potential for an extraordinary life outweighs the comfort of the ordinary.
Rock bottom? For me it was.
So when I´m asked why I became a Commando where other dropped out…
Listen:….I was DONE WITH FAILING.
Done with mediocrity.
Done with “almost.”
Something needed to change.
So I did what any rational person would do:
I enlisted in one of the world’s toughest military units. 😆
To test myself against the best in the most challenging circumstances.
To see what I´m made of.
(And only after enlisting told my girlfriend. Pro tip: Don’t do that.
25 years later, she’s still my wife. Clearly, she’s a Keeper.)
Finally, success.
But here’s where it gets interesting…
Your ´WHY´ evolves over time.
At other crossroads, I needed a different ´WHY´:
– Provide for my wife and daughter (business success)
– Prove it can be done while giving Lifestyle a priority.
– Be an example for my daughter (being successful in business without an official study (she is homeschooled) and being an allround ´good man trying to be good at being a man´)
– Inspire and motivate others (fitness and health goals)
– Help and give back (writing and coaching)
are among them.
Your first ‘WHY’ got you here.
Your next ‘WHY’ takes you higher.
How to find your WHY:
Here’s a powerful approach to finding your WHY:
Imagine your 80th birthday celebration.
The room is filled with everyone you love.
Three people stand up to speak about your life’s impact – your child, your closest friend, and someone from your professional life.
Write down exactly what you want them to say.
Not what’s realistic.
What would make you cry with pride to hear?
Now work backwards:
• What daily actions create that legacy?
Your WHY isn’t in your goals.
It’s in the impact you want to leave.
It’s not about what you want to have – it’s about who you need to become.
The gap between those future speeches and your current reality?
Your WHY.
And it should be big enough to get you out of bed at 5 AM, even when you’re tired, even when it’s hard, even when nobody believes in you but you.
A powerful WHY doesn’t come from your head.
It comes from your gut and your heart.
PS: Enjoy this? Follow Robin Coenen for more.
Ready to build your own Epic Life?
Join my community of subscribers to the Epic Life Newsletter here> https://robin-coenen-newsletter.kit.com/53c375a1b4