Get to the Core of Your Coconut......Your Why!

Written by Lynn Jones on Jun 23, 2011 1:07 am

Does your Why make you cry?

I’ve heard that question so many times when people are searching for their “Why”, or for the reason they are pursuing something very important in their lives.

I don’t know about you........but I’d rather ask, “Does your Why make you come alive?

Does it make you get excited?

When you wake up in the morning, does it make you want to get to work to make it happen?"
Recently while reading one of my favorite books, “The Ant and the Elephant” by Vince Poscente, I was intrigued by the illustration in the book addressing this topic.
If you haven’t read the book “The Ant and the Elephant”, the author weaves a clever parable around profound concepts that can have an immediate impact on our life.

Adir the ant, and Elgo the elephant, are like two teammates who must work together to realize a common goal. Adir, (our overly ‘conscious’ hero) and Elgo (Adir’s stubborn and instinctual ‘subconscious’ partner) must learn to work as a single creature in order to reach their Oasis, their vision of paradise in the African savannah.

The following is an exchange between Adir, the ant and Brio, the Wise Owl who helps him break the habit of negative thinking to realize his dreams.

“When you can’t ask yourself WHY any further, then you know you’ve reached what I call the core.

Adir, think of a coconut. If you were to see it cut in half, you’d see a number of layers.

The tough, fibrous weave is a difficult exterior to break through.
Then there’s the hard layer that must be cracked.

Then there’s the meaty layer.

Finally the core of the coconut holds a sweet, milky treasure.

Each layer seems to protect an inner layer.

Your core is just like the coconut’s core, and to get to the treasures inside you, you need to ask yourself Why.”

There is another important fact about the inner fluid of the coconut. Coconut water is almost identical to blood plasma and this makes it easy to use for blood transfusions. In cases of emergency, coconut water has been used as an intravenous hydration fluid instead of the standard IV fluid. During World War II many wounded soldiers were saved in the Pacific because of emergency transfusion using coconut water as plasma.

Do you get it? It seals the deal for me as to how important getting to the core of our Why is.

The core gives us life.

It revitalizes us.

It can save our lives.

The core is what motivates us. It’s the answer to the question, “What makes you feel alive?”
Ask yourself what you love to do and why you love it.

Your core - the answer to your Why - will remain constant throughout your life.

Your Why will keep you moving forward even when your elephant (subconscious) wants to lead you in the opposite direction.

Your Why will keep you headed toward your ‘Oasis” (dreams) even when you are exhausted, distressed and anxious.

Your Why will keep your goal in focus and your vision clear, even when other people tell you to forget about it, that it will never happen.

Zero in on the goal that has a depth of meaning. Give your Why Life by getting to the inner core of your being.

The journey has to be worth taking.

It has to make you come alive.

Your Networking Friend,