What Is Your "Why?"

Nice one, Jonathan...
My website was a membership source, and people regularly signed up (paid) without issues. But eventually I still decided to make it a free source for easier access to everyone.

These days I get the occasional email from people stating how valuable XYZ has been for them (whatever they found on the site), and honestly, this makes my day every single time. Never gets old. This is my main reason "why."

Just like you, I seem to get a kick out of helping and empowering people. And besides, there are still plenty of ways to make money (sponsorships, affiliate, advertising space, to name a few) -- so it's a win-win.

Well, that's a good question...

My 'why' is a lot more anti-establishment.

I see the only way to get true freedom and independence is to opt-out of the systems of control.

I love this post !! My reason why is my Son

I have a few why's.

1. I love to compete and the feeling of entering a niche and becoming a major player in it and taking what I want is a great feeling.
I'm a former Marine, there are no more wars for me. So, this is my battle field. I love strategy and implementation.

2. I love travel and traveling the world has always been a passion.

3. I'm a man, I love beautiful women.

Those are my main why's.

The why really is everything Jonathan. It is my fuel, the passion that drives me, the energy that pulls me into my deepest fears. Gotta desire freedom over cowering to your fears to make anything in life work. Fab post.

I love reading your post. My why is my Family.

Why Not?

al

I have not been on WF in ages, but this is where it all started for me. I am happy to join this conversation since I have not posted in a looooong time. This is a long post. It may be a boring self-indulgence to most, but hopefully, it speaks to someone.

Firstly, I would like to say, I love all of your "whys." It tells a lot about who you are. Whether it is providing a great life for your son, helping people succeed, being "anti-establishment," all of you aim to bring about improvement beyond that new lake house or "'Rrari" (which are also really cool).

Secondly, your "why" says a lot about WHERE you are in your entrepreneurial journey. For me, my journey has not only been one of personal and financial development, I have also experienced tremendous emotional and spiritual growth.

Originally, I literally got started in IM to make some quick money. Money that I desperately needed to fund a move to a new state after leaving my ex-husband. I was literally homeless, penny-less, and terrified...with two small kids in the back seat of my dangerously over-packed Nissan Sentra. My first WHY was survival (not a bad why, if it gets you to finally start).

My first venture into internet marketing was not even true IM, I basically whored my writing talents out to a public speaker, creating content that he could sell from the stage. I am embarrassed at how much grueling genius-level work he got from me for a mere $500 cash per project.

I am a learner though. I noticed he always paid me in cash...without thinking. He KNEW my content would make him more money. He didn't think twice.

Back then I was too broke to actually think people would want to hear me speak about anything publicly. But CONTENT, I could write and sell content directly to audiences. That is around the time I discovered Warrior Forum.

The WF community was different then, I think. There was a great sense of collaboration and a need for industry validation. I was helpful and honest in my comments to other content creators in the forums and pretty soon, I was getting private messages inviting me to "JV." I had no idea what a joint venture was...but I initially objected to it, feeling that it was something seedy or a sure-fire way to be taken advantage of (which of course happens).

I was lucky. One of my first JV relationships (my second, actually) was with a major guru-type. He is well-known, published, and had a million-dollar list (for sure). He paid me $2,500 to create the front line "teaser" report, sales copy and accompanying landing page AND paid me some sort of commission or royalty per subscriber...I STILL dont know how that worked. But I made $23,000 across something like 4 weeks time. At that time, $23,000 was the MOST money I had ever seen PERIOD.

My WHY changed. I wanted more than survival. I wanted WEALTH. Selfish, unadulterated wealth. I became a certified workaholic. I did more joint-ventures; at one time, I had 10 JV relationships all launching at the SAME time. I was a maniac.

But I was also an idiot. I was not building my brand or even building my own list. I was a content producer, creating ebooks, courses and sales copy for others and asking for a measely royalty. I was basically AN AFFILIATE, who sometimes got paid a little on the front end.

I made good money, though. I even met my first "wealth" goal too--$10,000 a month. That was better than any job I could get, but it was still a job in itself.

Real wealth is NOT having to work 60 hour weeks, juggling JV partners, speeding through projects. When I realized that, my WHY changed again. Now I wanted TIME.

Time is the MOST precious thing. We cannot actually make more time, everyone only has so much time and then our time is up. But we can free up our time. I didn't want to live the way I was living. Sure my bank account was lovely, but I was tired, grumpy, fat, and generally not very happy or healthy (my kids and new husband were miserable too).

How do you achieve time. I revised my plan...now I wanted, not just wealth, I wanted PASSIVE wealth, that didnt suddenly vanish when the JV partner stopped promoting the product.

When my WHY changed, my approach changed. I read a long post from someone on the WF about creating your sales funnel. At that time, the idea was a new one. BUT it made so much sense!

I created my first content funnel. Here is it summarized for you...

Free public webinar ---> Free report --> Free training module/mini course --->Low cost/no brainer course --->High value/higher cost course---> High Cost DFY Product or Boot Camp

(I am a woman. I like a really long courtship, with lots of free meals and long "get-to-know-you-better" walks. But for skeptical buyers, a long funnel worked for me. The money came and so did the list.)

I started to focus more on advertising then. Optimizing my sales copy, my landing pages, even my action buttons. I think I tend to workaholism, because I would create one funnel in one niche and then find ways to advertise it and maximize conversions. Then I would move to a new niche/new list of BUYERS.

In total, I have created 33 products. I have made money quietly, without being overly flashy. And I have time with my kids. THEN everything changed.

I had more time, but I was unfulfilled. My WHY was changing. I joined a church, one of those multi-cultural, non-traditional, non-demoninational congregations, you find near major cities. Suddenly, my talents--writing, speaking, motivating--had a higher calling, a purpose.

I got into coaching then, not for financial gain. I have never coached professionally. I don't charge now. But I was, for the first time, encouraging, challenging, and inspiring women with things that really matter.

Just yesterday, I met with a woman I knew was feeling under-appreciated by her family, and we went for fro-yo, to talk and listen. I do this kind of thing often now, but last night, I came home and was like, "Honey, THIS is what I want to do for the rest of my life."

My WHY has changed again. And so will my content.

My "Why" is different. I hate being poor.

I hate every part of it. It's smelly, gives me a stomach ache, and I don't like shopping with other poor people.

I grew up poor...around relatives that thought being poor was noble.

Being poor is ignorance, blaming others, and settling for less.

It's a real pathology for me. I'll do anything to avoid feeling helpless and dependent on others. It's a personal hell to me.

Anyone want cake?

Always, I would want 'why' to be voluntarily & consciously chosen.

But I figure this scenario, if propulsed deep to evryone, necessarily invites conflict.

So I would wanna consider how toucha my fingertips 'pon the world is only a kinda beginnin'.

Meet up with sumone, all questiona 'why' gotta reinvent itself.

So I figure more placesya hang out, more people proffer their own whysumness, moreya got touch on a pulse gonna sustainya beyond personal hoobris an' pan-hoomanity smother.

For Moi, that is why why is kinda vomit orientated.

Gonna always gush, I guess.

Thing is, I am sweet on tangible aperture.

Finite me on down sumplace an' I spew on command -- allaya favo ingredients, dished up neato for allaya pre-flight baby boids.

Sumtimes, reckless rompo feels like I am alone in a world fulla punchdrunk zombies, an' I would not want nowan to be with me or feel what I got in those moments twixt edgesum step-on or step-back.

But I gotta have that kinda question mark hookin' me on -- liftin' me outta stuckeau into speculative hookup gonna wilt like a studdo hardon kinda time passes anyways.

Rompolicious emergence is forever, I guess, an' we are cupped, filled & driven by its touch 'pon our meager souls.

Response always gotta be a blenda all informed consideration we got -- plus'n trust that information is kinda mutable dependin' on what we happen out next.

This is my shot at bein' momentarily filosophical, btw.

Ignore whatever u wanna, process whatever u can -- an' mebbe be sweet with the next weirdo stranger you meet.

They mebbe be whyless, jus' kinda amblin' round the place, noplace to go.

Why would anyone care, what anyone else thinks? Lead, don't follow, especially those that don't have a clue where they are going.

Fortunately, all of my 'why's' are behind me. Now I'm just left with 'whens' - as in, "When will this turdfest come to an end." lol

Thank you.

Knowing you, you left the cake out in the rain, where the thick, green icing,.....never mind.