Know Your Why?: A Journey to the Heart of Purpose, Before the Climb of Success

                      “ Sunday Stories: The Success Secrets of Extraordinary”

In the bustling city of Pune , where ambition ran as fast as the metro trains and dreams glowed brighter than the skyline, lived a 15-year-old boy named Ishaan Verma. He was known for his sharp mind, impressive grades, and an ever-expanding list of achievements. Medals adorned his wall, certificates filled his drawer, but something vital was missing — a sense of direction.

Everyone assumed Ishaan would become an engineer like his father or a data scientist like his cousin. After all, he was smart. 

But deep inside, Ishaan felt like he was running on a treadmill — moving fast but going nowhere.

One evening, during a school seminar, a guest speaker named Dr. Aria Sen, a mountaineer and psychologist, shared her story. She spoke not about conquering peaks, but about why she climbed them. “When I was 15, I wrote a goal: Climb Everest by 30. But I failed. Twice. Not because I wasn't skilled, but because I hadn’t figured out why I even wanted it. It wasn’t until I found my ‘why’— My Why was to inspire inner strength in girls from mountain villages— after that I truly began to climb. I had longing to meet, interact, guide and inspire the girls lived there.”

Her words pierced through Ishaan’s thoughts like lightning. That night, he wrote a question in his diary: Why do I want what I want?

Days turned into weeks. Ishaan began to question every goal he had listed — getting into a top university, winning competitions, making money. Why? Why? Why?

His friends mocked him. “Dude, don’t over think! Just go for it!” But Ishaan persisted.

One day, while volunteering at a Local Reading Center for underprivileged kids, he noticed something. A 8-year-old girl named Mahi, who struggled with reading, lit up when he explained stories using drawings and voice modulations. Every week, she waited just for Ishaan. Slowly, more kids joined. Ishaan began enjoying the process of teaching, storytelling, and connecting.

That’s when it struck him — his why wasn’t just success or prestige. It was to awaken curiosity and confidence in young minds through storytelling and creative teaching.

From that day, Ishaan’s goals changed. He still aimed high and worked as CEO of leading company. Simultaneously kept his passion alive by starting a podcast for teen learning, writing short stories — but now with purpose as his compass, not pressure as his whip.

Years later, when he was invited to speak at that same seminar as Dr. Sen once had, he began with one sentence:

“The wrong goal with the wrong ‘why’ can climb you up the wrong mountain — make sure your heart packs the compass before your feet take the path.”

                                                

Moral:

“Don’t set your goals just because they’re expected — set them because they’re connected to who you truly are. 

Your ‘why’ is your inner compass. Without it, achievement feels empty.”

📝 Final Note to Readers:

Dear Young Explorers,

Before you chase the tallest mountain or the brightest medal, take a quiet moment and ask yourself: Why do I want this?

Your 'Why' is like a compass — it keeps your journey true, even when the path gets steep.

Don't climb a mountain just because others are climbing it. Climb the one that whispers to your heart.

💡 Know Your Why Campaign!
Draw it. Write it. Speak it.
Let the world know what truly moves you.

Because when you know your why, no dream is too far. 🌟