Last week, I finished reading Simon Sinek’s Start With Why. It was a fascinating read, and it made me reflect on what I do and why I do it.
It’s effect was similar to the effect that Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It! had on me and the desire it instilled in me to find my passion.
I don’t know that writing, editing, and managing social media are my passions, but they are a big part of who I am. Anyone has known known me for a significant period can probably attest to my pedanticalness; I’ve been correcting others’ grammar—much to their exasperation—for decades. After all, I’ve been writing and editing for nearly 30 years.
Obviously, I haven’t been involved in social media as long, but many people equate me with social media, especially in Lethbridge. I regularly have people poke fun at how frequently I appear to be on Facebook, and for several years now, people have come to me for social media advice.
So it made sense that when I was laid off 4 years ago and had an opportunity to rebrand myself that I would do so by focusing on writing, editing, and social media.
As I read Simon’s book, I found myself questioning my motives for trying to run a home business. Why am I doing it? For the money? Because I don’t want to work for someone else anymore? For the flexibility?
But are those reasons why I want to work for myself? None of them seem meaningful. I don’t even find them motivating.
I’ve spent the last several weeks pondering this idea of having a why: why I do what I do, why others would want to work with me, why others would want me to do work for them. It’s been quite the process actually, but I think I have been able to pare it down to one simple sentence:
I want to change the world one word at a time.
That’s it, I think. I believe this is what motivated me for so many years to correct others’ grammars. I dreamed of a utopia where everyone spoke and wrote perfectly. :)
I don’t think this is truly who I am yet, but it feels like it’s a good vision, and if I remind myself of this every day, I am confident that perhaps I truly can make a difference.