“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” - Friedrich Nietzsche
I recently ran across a YouTube video by a comedian named Michael Jr. In the video, he shares the power of “knowing your why.” His presentation, a story within a story, showed a clip from a previous event in which he asked an audience member to sing a verse of “Amazing Grace.”
Michael Jr. "Knowing Your Why"
The person he selected to sing happened to be a music teacher. Needless to say, the gentleman knew how to sing. As one might expect, the teacher had a wonderful voice and sang a stanza from the song quite well. The comedian praised him and the audience gave the singer appreciative and polite applause.
Then Michael Jr. asked the teacher to sing “Amazing Grace” again. But this time, Michael told him to envision a scenario in which he had a heightened sense of gratitude and appreciation. He requested the teacher to imagine a dear family member had been released from a long period of incarceration or that he had personally, miraculously recovered from a serious injury.
When the teacher sang the song the second time, he took it to another level. He sang with feeling and emotion that far surpassed the first rendition. The words were electrifying; the tone vibrant. It motivated the people around him to get involved, as many in the audience got out of their chairs.
The comedian noted that, “When you know your why then your what has more impact, because you’re working towards your purpose.”
This Sunday at 12:45 p.m., Spiritual Life Center is holding a Town Hall Meeting for everyone in our community. While a segment of the meeting will have status updates and financial reports, a key part of the meeting is to reinforce our why and our reason for existing in the first place. This year, Spiritual Life Center’s Year of Intention, we’re highlighting our purpose and becoming even more intentional in manifesting our why.
Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, reminds us that it’s not enough to know what you do and how you do it. At the core of our being, we are motivated and sustained by knowing why we do things. By knowing our why, we connect with others at a deeper level and are more readily able to enroll them in our cause.
Sinek offers examples such as the Wright Brothers, Apple computers and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He explains how each made a difference in the world. It was not necessarily due to the uniqueness of their idea or because they were better funded. Rather, they were able to identify their whys early on and communicate them effectively to others. As a result, these organizations and individuals drew people to their cause.
The purpose and reason for Spiritual Life Center—our why—is as important today as it has ever been. Maybe more so. I invite you to be part of Sunday's gathering and infuse it with your spiritual energy and consciousness. It won’t be the same without you.
Peace and Blessings,
James