In this episode, we discuss the importance of starting with why and how it can benefit all aspects of your life.
Full Transcript
Hi Everyone, welcome to the You’re Daily Cup of Joe Podcast, where my goal is to give you quick lessons on how to grow yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually so you can have better careers, better relationships, and better personal finances.
I’m also the author of the book “More You Know, More You Grow: How to Get Better Every Day”. In this book, I wrote down over 30 tips to help you grow in those four cornerstones.
In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about the need to with Why first. So there is a really good book out there called Start With Why by Simon Sinek. In this book, he talks about a pyramid system that if people follow, it will help them become successful. When you’re doing something, you want to start with why, then how, and then what. Most of the time we want to start with the what. We are going to start a business like a food truck or we are going to go back to school. You never want to start with what you do first, you want to start with why you’re are doing stuff.
Maybe we get away from the why because people tend to get upset when we ask why. In a negotiation, you don’t want to use why because it’s an accusation phase. When we say why we are accusing the other side of doing something. When I ask a friend why they are doing something in a certain way, I am accusing them of doing something incorrectly. The better way is to use how or what question but don’t be a smart ass about it. So ask them how did you come up with that or what is the reasoning for that in a radio DJ voice. This tends to lower people’s guard. I used to get in arguments with my mom because I kept using why but then I read a book called never split the difference which talks about negotiation tactics and now me and my mom have more reasonable talks. But when you use a how or what question, it can open up the why reasoning.
A strong why will help you stick with your thing when things start to become more difficult. If you’re trying to lose weight or get a new job but you’re feeling sluggish, try to remember your why. I work hard at my Grow With Joe Business because I want to have a successful company that allows me time to spend time with my future family because my parents were always there for me as a kid and I want to do the same. I also want to provide them with opportunities to succeed just like my dad and mom but without having to worry about paying for stuff. So when times get tough like business is not coming in as I expected, I can still stick with it because my why is so strong.
Think of your Whys like your goals. Think of five why on why you’re doing something and you’ll get to the root cause for why you’re doing something. Once you have your why locked-in, you focus on the how. Think of how the tactics or strategies you’re going to use to reach your why. For example, I’m using entrepreneurship as the vehicle to get me toward my goals. I could have worked in the federal government, military, or for another company, but I like control and autonomy over my day too much to work for somebody else.
The what is the plan. What am I am going to do on a day to day basis to help me get to my goal using the tactics I have chosen. You want to be flexible with your plan because things happen but have a strong strategy or how. It’s like that Mike Tyson quote where he says everybody has a plan until you get hit in the mouth. And you’re going to get hit in the mouth, it’s just a matter of when. So when it comes to running a business, I had to change my plans a couple of times when it came to focusing on my marketing, my offering, and putting out fires but I’m using certain tactics to keep me focused on the big picture.
If I started with the what first like I’m going to go to a school to get a degree, then you might not finish that degree when times get tough. You’re in a class that is not that interesting and you rather go out with your friends instead. But if you have a strong why like I’m going to get this degree so I can get a good job so I can support my family then you’ll have a strong enough why to keep going.
You see a lot of companies go under because they start with the what first like big box stores. You know they sell shoes but they don’t have a strong enough why like Toms Shoes then they go out of business. There is a lot of factors but if people know why you’re doing something or why you care, they will be more likely to support you.
Also if you start with the what and no why, you can be pulled into a bunch of different directions and then spread yourself too thin. Also not good. If you have a what and why but a weak how then the plan will fail because the plan won’t be able to be executed properly. It’s all about starting with the why. If you want to start a podcast, think about why you want to start one. Is that why strong enough to help you keep going after the first ten episodes? It will show eventually because you’ll stop producing if the why isn’t strong enough. I would recommend that you write down your why on a piece of paper for why you’re doing something. Writing things down is so helpful because it gives you time to think about stuff and you can come back to it and review it when you need to. We all lose focus and need to be reminded of why we are doing stuff.
To summarize today’s episode, you want to start with why first, then how, then what. Ask five whys on why you want to do something, then find the how or best strategies you can use to help you reach your goals, then start with the what. This will not guarantee results but it tips the scales in your favor to help you live the life you want to live. Otherwise, you’ll just go from one failure to the next and end up frustrated on why things are not working out. Don’t let that happen to you.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode.
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*Music outro
