“So, what do you do?”

I don’t know about you, but I always struggle and even cringe a little when people ask me this.

Super easy, right? Just tell people how you make money, and move on. Only, I have the hardest time answering it honestly and clearly anymore.

Partly because of the weird work I do, which has no simple, go-to title I can use, like “plumber” or “preacher”. I think it’s also—and perhaps even more so—because this simple question seems to be asking me so much more than any easy “job title” answer can do justice.

When you ask me, “What do you do?” my mind hears something like:

• What’s your unique, personal mission in life these days?
• What’s the purpose-driven work you’re investing yourself in now?
• What’s your WHY?

I know, I know—when people ask, it’s mostly just a friendly way to (i) break the ice, and (ii) figure out what kind of “job label” they can apply to me. It’s typically an easy stepping stone into getting to know me better, and the last thing people are looking for is a cringy, drawn-out explanation of my “mission” and “purpose” in life. I totally get that.

I think this micro-stress I feel in answering this simple question is an interesting clue to something deeper inside—an aversion I feel to being defined by a vocation.

In reality, I’ve worked under a number of different titles, from real estate investor to internet marketer to copywriter to business owner to coach to waiter, and so on. But I think defining myself by any these is, in some way, an injustice to a much deeper and more meaningful reality that we all share.

The What vs. Why Switcheroo

I truly believe that we (you, me, all of us) are each created with a unique purpose… with a specific “why” that can be tapped into and infused into almost any vocation or job we happen to do at any given time.

• Work/Job: The work you do connects you to a monetary income, and possibly even to some enjoyment.
• Purpose: Connects to something bigger, and profoundly more meaningful. It connects you to why you’re even here—not just in a universal-meaning-of-life kind of way, but in a truly personal, intimate way.

Michael Jr. is a pretty well known comedian. That’s his job. But it’s not his purpose.

Listen here, as he explains the power of knowing your why in an amazingly graceful way in less than 4 minutes…

When you know your why, your what has bigger impact because you’re walking towards (or in) your purpose.

Think about that for a minute.

A clear and compelling why:

• Can be the motivator for any number of whats.
• Speaks to a deeper purpose you’ve uncovered about yourself.
• Connects to a specific meaning for your life that transcends your vocation.

Purpose Precedes Planning, Meaning Precedes Money.

Ideally, a truly epic “dream” job or business is one that really taps into (i) a skill set, (ii) a passion of some sort, and most importantly (iii) a PURPOSE/WHY that transcends it.

What’s mine? Well, for anyone playing along at home, at this point in my life it comes to this:

• What: Pay attention. Be ready. Build people.
• How: Think, talk, create, connect.
• Via: Whatever I do for a living (any work in which I can leverage my God-given strengths and skills)
• Why: Because God expects it, my family deserves it, and the world is starving for it. It’s why I’m here. 

Just what these things mean to me, and how they came about, is an interesting story I’m happy to share another time.

But a little something you should know about your why…

It’s Infectious.

When people see you doing great work, at something you’re clearly skilled in, it looks admirable.

When people see you doing something authentically motivated by your why, it’s magnetic. You know there’s something special going on when you see it, and you’re drawn towards it, as it stirs something deeper inside you.

In Michael Jr’s story above: Did you notice how the admiring smiles around the singing man in the audience turned into an ovation after his second song? Did you catch the guy who jumped over and spontaneously hugged him afterward?

Seeing him start with a meaningful why, and then wrapping it around his God-given talent—well, it became a little magical, didn’t it? It wasn’t just because he did a better job singing the song. As he connected to why he was singing, his whole energy changed. And seeing that happen resonated more deeply with everyone around him.

It’s compelling and really enjoyable in some special way when people pair any job with a truly compelling why.

So, do you know your why yet? How might you answer the question, “What do you do?” if the person asking it were looking for more than just a job title?

—Later, potatoes. (which is fancier and more meaningful than ‘taters’, I think)