Who Before How
Often, if you want to make a change or achieve a goal or change a habit, the first thing your brain will want to focus on is HOW do we do that?
HOW do I launch my startup? Where do I find customers? How do I test ideas? How do I do a marketing campaign?
HOW do I find my next role? Should I network, or apply to job postings? What should I say during coffee chats? How do I prepare for interviews?
HOW do I become more fit? What exactly should I eat? What exercise routine should I follow? Should I hire a trainer or just find a gym buddy?
These are not BAD questions to ask. And if you ask around, people will be more than happy to give you blueprints and guides and 3 step plans for success.
But the HOW is not the unlock.
Because NO “how” is forever.
If there was a single “how” formula that worked for every person, every time, whoever had figured that out would be making $100B and everyone would know their name.
The reality is that, for any pursuit, there ISN’T a single “how” that works in every situation, for every person, for ever and ever.
Achieving any pursuit is NOT a matter of finding the perfect “how” upfront and then just disciplining and will-powering your way through it forever.
It’s a matter of continually figuring out the “how,” again and again, over time, as circumstances shift.
Of re-finding your balance and troubleshooting and adjusting and making little tweaks forever.
Why? Because everything is always changing. The world changes. Technology changes. Customers change. Companies change.
And YOU change. You’re tired one day. You’re energized the next. One day you’re full of confidence. The next, one conversation sours your mood for a week.
When the world is always changing and YOU are always changing, of course the “how” has to change as well.
So let me give you better questions to ask.
WHO is the person you will be at the end of this journey?
WHO do you want to be?
And HOW does that person act right here, right now, when facing THIS current situation?
These questions will help you reorient to the identity and values and way of being that are your true north star in this pursuit…
…and then use those to generate the best “how” for this moment.
This is why I say—
Who before How.
Because the Who creates the How.
Who do you want to be as a startup founder? An icon? An industry disruptor? A genius? How does that person find customers? Test ideas? Do a marketing campaign?
Who do you want to be in your career? A leader? A head of product? A key player in the room? How does that person network, apply to jobs, and prep for interviews?
Who do you want to be in your health and fitness? Someone who’s fit and healthy well into their 90s? One of those magic people that eats whatever they want and still looks great? How does that person prepare meals and exercise?
It’s okay if you don’t yet know the answers to these questions.
Because this is exactly what I help people figure out.
You know how seriously you research different “how’s” and game plans and processes for achieving your goals? With a million tabs open, determined to find the BEST way?
That’s how seriously I want you to take your Future Identity Development — aka answering this question of: WHO do I want to be? and getting that picture as clear and crisp and resonant in your mind as possible.
Take your time and really get the vision clear in your mind.
Try different identities on — spend a whole day asking “What would that person do?” and acting like them.
Drop or adjust the identities when they don’t resonate in the moment.
Wrangle with your fear that you can’t be that person — and put it to bed so you can get to work BEING that person.
This is the work I do with my clients.
And we troubleshoot the “how” too — both the Who and the How are necessary.
But we always put the Who first, because that’s what creates everything else.
So if you want to start living your Who today, and following THEIR plans rather than someone else’s…
Come talk to me, and let’s get started :)
What my clients have to say…
“I would in particular recommend Pooja to this specific phenotype of high achievers.
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves and the outside world might never understand that our lives are not as perfect as they seem, or that we struggle as much as we do.
I think that phenotype in particular, would benefit a ton from working with Pooja specifically.”
—Client | Head of Business Development at MedTech Company
Did you know I have a full table of contents, where all my work is categorized by topic, so you can easily find what you need right now? Check it out below! :)
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