Inspired by Simon Sinek: 7 Signs You Haven’t Found Your WHY

For the past 3 years I have scored myself (pretty much every day, but I won’t claim perfection) on the following:

Often, my answer wavered in the gray (or, a 3/5).

My attempts at defining my WHY—like "creating impact" or "serving with the full force of my soul"—felt grand yet vague. Like ambitions floating without an anchor. These weren't grounded in beliefs but in a desire to define a purpose that felt just out of reach.

My clarity of WHY began to sharpen with life's pivotal moments: changing my work, getting married, and finally, having a daughter.

The birth of my daughter was the start of a transformation in me. It kicked off a process that slowly illuminated a strength of WHY to my existence I hadn't seen before.

Yet, it was Simon Sinek's "Start With Why" that gave me permission to lean into that why in everything I do. 

Sinek's words weren't just read, they were felt, compelling me to solidify and share the reason behind my every action and every decision.

7 months after the birth of my daughter, I feel that I have found a WHY that will stick with me for the remainder of my life:

From now on, everything I do, every company I start will always start with this WHY.

7 Signs You Haven’t Found Your Why (Or That You’re Disconnected From It)

In “Start With Why,” Simon Sinek talks about companies and people who focus so much on WHAT they do that they lose their way.

They may have started with a strong and powerful WHY, but somewhere along the way there was what Simon Sinek calls “a split”, and the WHAT became more important than the WHY.

I believe that this can happen to each individual rapidly.

If I don’t stick to my routines of journaling, reflecting, praying, planning, reading, eating right, and exercising, it happens to me within 72 hours.

It happened to me this week.

All of those routines are tied deeply to my reason for being.

And by ignoring or avoiding them, my internal voice starts to whisper, then yell, then scream: You’re not doing what you promised.

This internal noise manifests itself in at least of the following ways:

1. Lack of Passion - When waking up feels like a chore and days blend into a monotonous gray, it’s a sign my internal beliefs aren’t aligned with my daily thoughts or actions.

2. Chronic Uncertainty - Decision-making feels like wandering in a fog. Without a WHY, choices seem arbitrary, leaving me second-guessing and stalled (this one is HUGE for me).

3. Envy - Observing others' success brings more envy than inspiration. It's my heart’s way of signaling that it yearns for its own path, but I haven’t found it yet (or I walked away from it).

4. Burnout - Exhaustion isn’t just physical, it’s the soul feeling misaligned from its purpose, working tirelessly without knowing the purpose.

5. Feeling Lost - Like a ship without a compass, there’s a sense of drifting aimlessly, searching for a harbor I can’t describe because I haven’t defined it.

6. Short-lived Fulfillment - Achievements feel hollow, and joy is fleeting. The mountain peaks conquered and the valleys of failure don’t offer the outcomes my heart seeks.

7. The Echo of "Is This It?" - Amidst failure (or success), there’s an echoing question, “Is this it?” It's the void where my WHY should sit and provide meaning and power to all of my connections.

Brendon Burchard, one of the worlds leading coaching, calls this internal noise the Thunder.

It’s taken 3 years of intentional effort to get to the point where I can hear my internal noise, but I still struggle to listen to it.

However, having a WHY that resonates with every cell in my body creates the necessity I need to respond to it.

So I’ll say it again (because it does resonate with every cell in my body):

After discovering the power of starting with WHY, I decided to leverage AI to help me (and you) find it.

Introducing the WHY Finder: Find (Or Reconnect With) Your WHY!

At its core, your WHY is a belief about the world.

It's an underlying truth that acts as the bedrock for everything you do. It’s not about the products you sell, the services you offer, or the roles you fulfill. Instead, it's about what you believe at the deepest level about the world you live in and our place within it.

Each of your beliefs (conscious and unconscious) shapes your thoughts, actions, and interactions.

They also happen to measurably shape your environment (like changing the expression of the genes in the cells of your body).

Beliefs are powerful, and connecting to them consistently will replace the 7 negative feelings above with their powerful and positive opposites.

Introducing the WHY Finder: Your AI-Powered Compass.

The WHY Finder is an AI assistant designed to help you distill your core beliefs into a simple, straightforward statement of what you BELIEVE.

It does this in a conversational way, asking you questions to get information from you on what you believe, value, and cherish.

Once it has enough information, it gives you suggestions on your WHY (you can ask it to take one that you like and create 5-10 more versions of it).

Finally, you choose one of the statements that then becomes your WHY.

You’ll know when it’s the right one. =)

Click the button below to get started:

Join the Build With AI Pro Community

Discovering your WHY is just the beginning.

The Build With AI Pro community is where similar-WHY individuals and organizations come together. We believe that those who master building with AI in their daily life will eliminate their fear of AI and create a world they will be proud to leave for future generations, faster than they think is possible.

• Master AI in Your Daily Life: Leverage AI not just for productivity, but as a tool for enhancing your life's purpose and impact.

• Create a Fearless Future: Join a community dedicated to using AI for good, ensuring technology amplifies our human potential and purpose.

Join Build With AI Pro Now

Your WHY is more than a statement, it's a compass that guides you through life's challenges and opportunities. With the WHY Finder and the Build With AI Pro community, you have everything you need to discover it, live it, and amplify its impact with AI.

Don't wait for clarity and purpose to find you. Take the first step today.

Excited to serve you in this way, builder!

Your friend and AI coach,
Sterling Long!

P.S. The next Build With AI Cohort is launching on February 27th. I’ll be sending additional reminder emails, but sign up now to avoid the hassle (and sadness) of missing it.