Week 25 - "The person who knows how will always have a job, but the person who knows why will always be the boss" - Benjamin Franklin
During a 6-week group work experience a year ago, my mentor drilled into the cohort a powerful tool that was to drive the entirety of our work. - a single word: “Why.”
But why?
He urged us to ask ourselves this question every time we thought we had reached the end of our research. In his eyes, this would lead us deeper into solving the core issue we were facing. And he was right. I remember numerous occasions when my team and I presented our findings only to be met with a quick series of “why this” or “why that” that would send us back to the beginning for further exploration.
Zooming out of this particular experience, I’ve found it interesting to bring this approach into other aspects of life. It’s not a new concept; many of us have asked ourselves why countless times. Usually, our initial response serves as a justification for our actions or decisions.
But ask the question two or three more times, and you might start to get to the root of something. Let’s consider a hypothetical situation. Imagine you have a job you dislike and are contemplating quitting to pursue something else. Before you do so, you decide to ask yourself a simple question.
Why?
You find the work repetitive and unfulfilling.
Fair enough… but why?
You believe the work doesn't align with your values and don’t think it provides any value.
Okay… but why?
You delve deeper and think about your core values. Let’s imagine you value helping others become the best version of themselves, which your current job fails to achieve.
Now we’re getting somewhere… but why? Why does helping people become the best version of themselves fulfill you?
Maybe someone played a transformative role in your life, and now you want to provide the same influence for others.
By just asking “why” a couple of times, you’ve realized that your desire to quit your job goes beyond wanting to leave something you dislike and towards embracing your passion to make a difference in the lives of others.
I use this example because I believe it shows the immense value that one can get from repeatedly asking a simple question. Asking why won’t solve your problems and sometimes, it might even create more. However, in peeling back the layers, you often discover insights that may have surfaced eventually anyway.
A one-word question won’t define your journey to something new, but it can help uncover the root of many of the problems and decisions you face. Next time you’re conflicted, consider asking yourself why, and you may learn much more about yourself than you thought you knew.
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