Examples Of Strong Purpose Statements (What’s Your Why?)

If you’ve been working on any self-improvement or self-development lately, you may have heard the advice to “find your why.” But what does it mean to find your personal why, why is it important, and how do we do it?

Knowing your “why,” or “personal why statement,” is vital in following through on your goals and achieving the life you want. As a coach, I always encourage my clients (and friends!) to think about the purpose behind any goal before taking any other steps.

Hint: You can find your why by focusing on the way you want your life to feel rather than on the way you want your life to look.

Let’s explore everything you ever wanted to know about finding your “why” or creating your “personal why statement” including a list of examples.

Jump To Examples

What is a “why Statement” or “Purpose Statement”?

Your “why” also called your “personal why” is your purpose for setting out towards a goal. A good why goes below the surface level and speaks to your values: How would it would feel to be the person you’re trying to become or have the life you’re trying to build?

Your “why” is going to be different than anyone else’s. It should be deeply personal and spark feelings of vulnerability when you unearth it. That’s because determining your why is about clarifying who you really want to be in your life. And that kind of honesty can be scary because it means admitting to yourself that you’re not there yet and you may have a long way to go.

The importance of knowing your Personal why

Knowing your personal why is incredibly important to the likelihood that you follow through on your goals and successfully reach your dreams and fulfill your purpose. Your purpose statement gives you something to fall back on and keep you going when things get tough.

How many times have you attempted something new and challenging with all the enthusiasm in the world, only to discover that within a few weeks you’ve lost the spark to keep going? It’s not a lack of good intentions, it’s a lack of a stable foundation to fall back on when the motivation runs thin and you have to rely on discipline.

Determining your personal mission statement and knowing your why provides you with an accessible reminder that what you’re working towards is worth the hardships, setbacks, and disappointments.

What is your why? Personal Purpose Statement Examples

If you’ve been asked “what is your why,” it may feel challenging to be vulnerable and uncover your honest personal why statement.

You’re not alone in feeling reluctant to admit your deepest desires and grandest vision for your future. Hopefully these real examples of “personal why’s” in response to the question “what is your why” are helpful.

Improving Relationships – Examples:

• “I will approach every interaction with patience and optimism in order to foster healthier connections so that I don’t feel so lonely.”
• “I will set a good example for my children by setting healthy boundaries with my parents.”
• “I will go to therapy so that I don’t alienate my partner when I’m feeling stressed and we rebuild a healthy relationship.”

Losing Weight – Examples:

“I will lose weight so that I…”

• can play with my children without getting winded
• can go up the stairs without my knees hurting so that I can sleep better and wake up feeling more refreshed
• can walk around on vacation without chafing and spend more quality time with my partner

Starting a Morning Routine – Examples:

“I will stick to my routine so that…”

• I can curb my temper and improve my relationship with my spouse
• I stop having panic attacks
• I can lower my blood pressure so I don’t have health issues like my parent did

Starting a Business – Examples:

“I will not give up on my business because…”

• I want to create jobs for people I love
• It’ll give me the financial freedom to get my family out of debt
• It’s important to me to have something to pass on to my children

• To set a good example for my children
• To make sure I don’t regret not going in 10 years

Saving Money – Examples:

“I will put aside $100 every week so that…”

• I can afford Christmas gifts this year without going into debt
• I can help my sister pay for her wedding
• I can take my partner on a cruise to the Caribbean next summer

Sobriety – Examples:

“I will stay sober because…”

• I want to be more clear-headed while I’m beginning a new relationship, unlike last time
• I’m committed to improeving my depression and anxiety symptoms
• I’m proving to myself that I can do hard things

How to find your why

How do you find your why and write your personal why statement and how can you be sure it’s a good enough why to get you through the hard times?

You’ll find your personal why by continuing to ask yourself “but, why?” until you reach the answer that strikes a personal, emotional chord. It’s okay to start with a more surface level answer and continue to move deeper and deeper until you find an answer that is feelings-based rather than ego-based.

Just don’t stop until you reach a why that is deeply personal, feelings-based, and inspires you to get started as soon as possible.

For example, if the question is: Why Do You Want to Lose Weight?

You might answer: “To look good in a bathing suit this summer.”

But, Why?

You might answer: “So that I don’t miss out on anything at the beach this summer because I’m feeling insecure.”

But, Why?

You might answer: “So that I can be present in every moment with my family and feel loved and connected while my kids are still young enough to want to hang out with me.”

And with that, you may have found your why.

What Makes A Good Purpose Statement?

A good purpose statement should be concise, direct, personal, and values-based. These are the features that make a good “why statment” different from an excuse or shot in the dark.

Concise

A good purpose statement should be short and to-the-point. Ideally, it’s something you could write on a sticky note and put on your mirror to see every morning when you wake up. It should be short enough that it can run through your head almost like a mantra. Don’t make it hard to remember, confusing, or flowery – remember this is your fuel to keep going in the hard moments.

Direct

Your why statement shoudl reflect your core why – something that is deeply meaningful to you. When you read it or think about it, you’ll know exactly what it means. Use language that feels natural and resonates with you – afterall this is all about you.

Personal

A personal purose statment is meant to be just that – personal. You might have a very different reason from the person sitting next to you to pursue the same goal and that is totally fine! Their reason won’t keep you going on the hard days – yours will. Dig deep and be vulnerable about why this goal is important to you.

Values-Based

We are capable of moving mountains when a goal is aligned with our core values. How does this goal reflect your inner self? When you accomplish the goal will you feel proud of how you’ve contributed to your family, your community, your legacy, etc? Make sure your personal why statemet gets to the heart of your values – that’s how you’ll know it’s strong enough.

How to know if you’ve chosen a good personal why

You’ll know that you’ve identified a powerful personal statment if it inspires you to get up and get moving on your goal as soon as possible.

Sometimes this exercise can reveal motivations for goals that you didn’t even realize you had! Self-development is an ongoing process. But without deep, purposeful reasons for improving yourself, it feels like an uphill battle every step of the way. Shallow, surface-level personal mission statements aren’t enough to get you over the inevitable bumps in the road.

I’m a firm believer that your personal why statement should be just that—personal. You don’t have to share it with anyone unless you want to. If you’re someone who benefits from having a supporter on your team who can help keep you on the right track, then by all means, share your why with your chosen confidant. But remember, your why is all about finding intrinsic motivation—so if your why doesn’t feel powerful enough to be self-sustaining, consider going deeper to find a better why.

Or, perhaps,  consider whether this goal is really worth your time and energy after all.

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