If you didn’t know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health, especially as it relates to business, is kinda one of my favorite things to talk about.

You may have heard the term, “what’s your why?” as you build and grow your business. Why are you doing what you’re doing? What fuels you to keep going? What’s your deep down desire at the core of your business?

So here’s where most people get trapped: they give a half-assed, wishy-washy “why” that sits safely in their comfort zone and doesn’t actually get to the root of their real “why” at all. Those people end up writing half-assed, wishy-washy copy that doesn’t really connect to their ideal audience and they have traffic and sales that are “just okay”.

But did you set out to start your business and do “just okay”? I’m betting NOT.

(Also, does “just okay” pay the bills? Nope.)

Why do most people get stuck and stop there? Because digging deeper is scary.

It’s vulnerable AF. To get to your real “why”, you have to go to some places in your mind and heart that maybe you were hoping you could conveniently avoid. But the catch is that’s the only way to get to the root of who you are and what you want so you can deeply and authentically connect with your ideal audience.

By the way, I was also very guilty of doing exactly this when I first started out. For my first six months of copywriting full time, I said my “why” was helping small businesses increase their sales and social media numbers. But was that really my passion? NOT EVEN CLOSE. Was I dreaming at night about helping people meet their quarterly revenue goals? SURE WASN’T. Was I obsessed with growing clients’ Instagram followers to five or six figures? BIG NOPE.

So, I did some soul searching. I dug deep and got real with myself; why did I really love copywriting? What was it about the process that lit me up inside?

And it hit me: I loved the moment when I delivered a client’s copy and they said, “Oh my God, this finally feels like ME. This feels like what I’ve been trying to say, but for some reason couldn’t put into words.”

It wasn’t about increased revenue or growing a social media following (though that’s always a by-product of having great copy). It was about using words to help people feel heard & empowered in the echo chamber that is the internet.

Now, my entire Magic Words Copywriting business is built on my passion for helping people feel deeply heard & seen for who they really are. And guess what? My income and my social media numbers have tripled.

Here’s the thing, you have to dig deep and get vulnerable in order to know what it is you’re actually trying to say. You have to keep peeling back the layers to get to the real answer when someone asks you, “what’s your why?”.

So here’s an exercise for you:

Ask yourself the question, “if I waved a magic wand and had my dream business, what would people be saying about me? What would I be known for?”.

Don’t judge yourself. You’re not conceited or selfish or crazy. Imagine the feature article on you in Entrepreneur or Forbes or [insert your favorite publication here!]. Think about what the reviews of your dream clients would say about you. Then literally write them down. Get vulnerable. Get real and raw. Then read them back and see if there’s a recurring theme.

Here’s the big secret: your “why” isn’t about you… it’s about your audience/clients. How you envision serving and helping the people who buy from you IS your “why”!

Honesty and vulnerability are some of the most powerful tools you have in your business-building toolbox. The more you use them, the more you will see incredible growth beyond your wildest dreams.

So, what’s your why? Tell me in the comments!