Why You Need a "Why?"

Back for more I see…

Let’s jump into it - no fucking around today.

I first came across the concept of WHY in a book by Simon Sinek titled “Start with Why?”

This book changed my life in a very odd way. At first, as I was listening to it at my usual 3x speed on a jog, it seemed quite worthless. This was before I started bringing in clients, and before my business was started. At this point, everything was up in the air, and any sort of practical experience was, well… nonexistent. These were the dreaded days before I got my act together, put the books down, and picked up the phone.

In his book, Sinek discusses the importance of starting with why. ?A why?, in the way he describes it, is very simple. Why do you do what you do? What is the driving factor?

It seems so stupidly simple, and yet no one gets it right.

Sinek goes on to yap about why? in the context of branding, and brand image. He references Apple - a classic - and discusses the implications of why? in a more corporate sense.

This all made sense, obviously. You want a brand that people can relate to, right?

Sure, but that isn’t going to help you or I at this moment, and that is exactly why I am going to present the question of why? in another way entirely.

I want you to go to a place where you can be alone, just for two minutes. Once you’ve found this spot, I want you to reflect on the path that you are on, maybe some of those dreams you’re chasing. Now, I want you to ask yourself why?

Here’s the catch. The answer to this question

1. Cannot be materialistic

and

2. Cannot be to ‘be happy’

Why? Well because both of those criteria can be met with anything in the world, so long as dedication and grit is present.

I’ll go first. What is my why? What is the motivation behind my journey, behind business, behind The Young Entrepreneur?

My why is to inspire and educate others through the lessons I learn. That is my Why?

I love money, trust me. Of course I want the lambo in the driveway. Of course I want a villa on the beach. Of course I do.

The issue is that those who truly believe that those things will get them out of bed early every morning, or push them to put in that extra hour on Sunday nights, usually find themselves in stagnation.

They blame the environment they are in, or maybe they blame the industry that they are pursuing. They blame every bandaid they can latch onto.

Here’s a little secret I’ve discovered in these last few years. We humans are really good at finding band-aids to cover up the gaping holes in our lives. We overlook the most basic yet deep-rooted issues, and blame superficial fluff instead. ?

Why? Because no one wants to admit that perhaps the shit they have been doing for the entirety of their lives - that now acts as the basis for their life outlook - was wrong all along.

We like to explain away our problems in the most convenient ways possible, yet we ignore the shaky base we operate on.

Why do I bring all of this up? I bring this up because that is exactly what you will turn into without a why?

Those with a why? do spend that extra hour. They do get out of bed when they need to.

But WHY?

They are chasing something bigger than themselves. They are on a mission that can take several paths. They are value-driven.

Additionally, they are less prone to low-value activities, as they can easily identify whether not a new opportunity or new concept agrees with the why? that they are pursuing.

The ironic thing about this, is that individuals unbounded by materialistic goals almost always end up with more physical abundance than those who chase it. They push harder than others, and there’s no end destination. They win riches as a byproduct of their journey, as a byproduct of their values.

Sal Khan didn’t start KhanAcademy to become a Forbes-listed entrepreneur. He started on the basis of his WHY? - Removing resource-based obstacles to high-quality education.

If you do not have a genuine, deep reason why you do what you do - you will be unsuccessful.

That is if you are lucky. The one thing worse than being unsuccessful is becoming successful, and being miserable.

So right now, as you are reading this… why do you want to chase entrepreneurship? What is your why?

Why do you want to be a doctor? Do you even know? Is it because you want to “help people?”

That’s what everybody says.

Do you think that becoming a doctor is the only way to do that? Really ask yourself these questions. It is far easier to battle hard questions now than to deal with the avoidance of introspection later.

It might just be too late…

See you next week

P.S.

As always, I would love to hear from all of you. Send me your Why?

Feel free to send me an insta DM @theyoungentrepreneurr, or hit me up on LinkedIn