What is Your Why?

For those of you who haven't talked to me in let's say the last five minutes, you may not know I am in my last term of my MBA program at Creighton University. *Needless to say I am a little excited to graduate in a week, but more on that later.* I have had the pleasure of taking some incredible (and some not so incredible) classes at Creighton & have learned more than I could have possibly expected to learn about leadership, management, marketing, technology, ethics and most importantly myself. My favorite class was this last term, called Personal Leadership Development. It was taught or more so lead by Dr. Roger Fransecky, who happens to be not only one of the most accomplished men I have met, but also the most humble. It was a real pleasure experiencing the journey I did with him as the leader. The class challenged us to have courageous conversations and look deep within ourselves to find our True North. It was a difficult class the pushed a lot of us, including myself, to the edge of our personal walls and into pure self-discovery. I have had many experiences in life that have taught me about myself, but never have I seen the big picture this way. I will forever be changed by this experience at Creighton.

I clearly was not the only one in my class who felt this transformation from our conversations as we started a book club to keep the dialogue going. In our first meeting we had a conversation about purpose and our "why" for life. I didn't have an answer. I walked away feeling very disappointed and lost for I didn't feel I knew my purpose. So, I have been thinking about it quite a bit. I have decided that my "whys" are to strive to bring people joy, to learn as much as possible from my experiences and to be a better person each & everyday. Beyond that I don't have a plan. I can't tell you what I want to be doing with my life in five years or ten. I don't know where I want to be living or what job I will have. I just hope that I am happy and that those around me are happy too.

The best part of my revelation about not having a plan is that I am OK with it. I started thinking about how living life a little uncharted has opened incredible doors for me. I never planned on working for Yahoo! or moving to Manila or to Nebraska or start school at Creighton, it just happened and I am truly thankful it did. I know now that you only get out of life what you put into it, so I know these amazing adventures didn't happen just because...maybe there was some luck involved. I also know that in order to learn as much as possible I have to be completely open to new experiences. As things start to fall into place and I start to set more concrete goals, career paths, etc. I will strive to stay a little unplanned, let life happen and enjoy the ride.


What is your "why" for life?
What has brought you joy today?