Why We Do What We Do

Do you ever stop and ask yourself why you do what you do? What is your reason behind your choices? Many took the time in covid to reflect on things that we missed and our dreams for when it ended, but how about now, today. Why do you do what you do today?

In his Ted Talk (here), Tony Robbins talks about the importance of examining what motivates us. He says that when we explore our why, then we can contribute more in society, feel more fulfilled and in turn we will hopefully understand other people better and maybe appreciate them more. At The Outdoors Project, we regularly discuss our motivations in team meetings; it helps us form clear plans for our sessions whilst reminding us why we do what we do.

What makes the difference in people's lives?

Robbins references two master lessons in life. One is the science of achievement. This could be having a family, starting a business, getting a dream job, buying your own home. The trickier second lesson is the art of fulfillment. This is more about appreciation and contribution. You can only feel so much by yourself.

What reasons do people give for not reaching their goals? 

When asked this question, most people give very similar answers. Not enough time, money, experience, or resources. The Outdoors Project started off in a local park in Brighton, East Sussex.  The space was free, we took very little equipment for those first few sessions; simply exploring the outdoors with children and using things around us (twigs, branches, space to run) and there was no need for technology at first as it was word of mouth amongst our children's school friends. 

It may be that you don’t have the money, the space or the time for a particular goal but often resources aren’t the block to achieving your dream; it is human emotion. The Outdoors Project is an excellent example of this. 

How did emotion help us reach our why?

When we are playful enough, creative enough or fun enough then we can reach most people. Our clubs do exactly this with the children and for us as instructors. We all love being outdoors, come rain or shine, we are out there. We are creative with our ideas and are always on the job thinking of new ideas for fun activities to ensure that no two days feel the same when you come to us.

We play too. Similar to the bushtucker trial testers in I’m a Celebrity. Our team sets up and tests every set up and activity to make sure it works, to see how much fun we have, and because we are all kids at heart; and seeing the children having fun and coming together makes us tick.

Everyone can be the best at something at our clubs

The wide variety of activities in a session means that everyone feels good about their own abilities at some point in the session. This could be the sense of achievement they gain from carving a Harry Potter wand out of a stick, overcoming nerves to have an amazing game of Nerf with a group of people they have only just met. With a non-competitive environment, children feel more relaxed than in school games sessions and can challenge themselves to try new things each time.

Why we do what we do

We do what we do at The Outdoors Project because we love giving children the space to learn, to be themselves and have fun away from the classroom. Our team all absolutely love their jobs, they come from a variety of backgrounds; including teachers, creatives and sometimes new to working with children. Their skill sets are vast and are applied to the daily needs of all children. Children need empathy, fun, support with their social skills and gentle nudges to step out of their comfort zones to learn and grow in confidence. They share our goals here at head office. Why do you do what you do? It’s pretty interesting when you ask yourself why.