Follow the Whys

"When you follow the whys, keep digging. Every answer provokes deeper questions. Sometimes it helps to sit with a question in the back of your mind for a day, even a week. Very often you’ll find that what you are ultimately searching for is an internal feeling (happiness, security, confidence, etc.). Or maybe you’ll find that you’re acting out of envy, not the most positive emotion, but a good alert to the need you are trying to fill. Be curious about that discovery."

One trademark of education and the best educators are those who are challenging their students to ask "why". This simple question works in all different subjects and aspects of learning. It is the best way to simply look deeper into different questions in learning and in life. Not only do the best educators do this, but the best learners do this for themselves. This is what drives the passionate life-long learners in our world. The best way to push yourself forward in your learning and deepen your understanding of any subject matter (including yourself) is simply a reflection of why.

Another great aspect of asking yourself why is what Jay Shetty is challenging us to do in this book and in this quote. He is challenging us to find the real "why" behind what we want to do and what we want to accomplish. For many of us there are surface reasons that come to mind more than those deeper meanings of why we want something or want to do something. This reflective practice can help us to see not only the motives behind what we are doing, but once we find those motives we can decide of those motives are what we are aiming for as a person. If we find those "whys" and they don't align with our values we should consider if what we want or want to do is really worth it. You may be surprised what you find out if you travel down the rabbit hole of whys in your life.