One morning recently, I listened to a thought-for-the-day segment on the radio, where a speaker shared a touching story about attending his grandchild’s sports day. This was a pre-school event, the highlight being the classic egg and spoon race. The children carefully balanced an egg on a spoon as they ran, each using their own technique to prevent the egg from falling. However, the true essence of the story wasn’t just about the race itself but the moment afterward. As the children crossed the finish line, they instinctively looked towards their parents, searching for signs of pride and approval.
This moment struck a deep chord with me because it highlighted a universal truth: the desire to make our parents proud is ingrained in us from childhood through adulthood. The timing of this reflection is poignant, with the Olympic Games currently captivating the world. Athletes, much like those children, perform at their peak, often glancing towards the stands or cameras, hoping to catch a glimpse of their family’s support. While the Olympics is a grand stage, the underlying motivation remains the same—making loved ones proud.
In my own experience, this feeling doesn’t fade as you age. I lost my dad a few months ago and my mum a couple of years before that. Even though my dad suffered a stroke over a year ago and might not have fully comprehended my words, I still find myself wanting to share my achievements with him. I often think about telling him about a win I had this week, longing to hear his words of encouragement and pride. Then, I remember he’s no longer here. Even at 60 plus, this urge still tugs at my heart.
I don’t dwell on this sadness because it was their time to go, but the impulse to share my successes with my parents persists. It’s a gentle reminder that the desire to make our loved ones proud is a timeless and universal part of the human experience.
We all need a strong “why” to achieve our goals. A simple desire to make more money isn’t a big enough motivation. I recently caught an interview with one of the gold medal winners who shared that he saw his mother, who had passed away just before the Olympics, in a dream the night before his event. She told him he was going to win. He even mentioned that he looked over and saw her sitting in the stands before the race. Wow. Whether this was a visualization or something more, it’s clear that wanting to make her proud was still a big “why” for him—perhaps for me, too.
After all, we’re usually not in business just for ourselves. We’re doing it for others as well—parents, spouses, children, or causes we care about. As Dr. John Dimartini says, if you make the “why” big enough, the “how” becomes easy.