“A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people’s business.” — Eric Hoffer
Today I was struck with the importance of not only asking why, but being able to explain your why to others in a clear and concise manner.
Understanding your why is vital to reassuring yourself that what you care about matters.
How is your why tied to a purpose greater than yourself?
We are rewarded to the extent that our why is impacts the world. The greater our personal impact, the more valued we are.
Out of curiosity, I sometimes look at job opportunities. As a prospective employee, the first thing I'd do is see if my own talents and experience could be applied to the job description.
But then it hit me how impossible that actually is.
Is the best candidate the one who is best trained for the task at hand or is it the one whose why statement is the best fit for the job?
If you take the position that our why should be equally applicable to everything we do (both personally and professionally), then it wouldn't necessarily be the candidate whose skill set meets the job description, would it?
I believe that the best candidate for the job has far less to do with that persons ability to do that job (at the time of hire).
Instead, what if wrote a one line job description following the why purpose format:
TO [FILL IN THE BLANK], SO THAT [FILL IN THE BLANK].
Instead of:
"Seeking a full-time Creative Services Producer, responsible for writing and producing on-air and digital commercials for station and station clients."
It would read:
"To write & produce highly engaging content so that our clients can reach their future customers."
But I think it falls short... because it's not a why statement that could be applied equally to personal & work, is it?
How about:
"To channel my creativity visually to leave a lasting impact on others."
To [BLANK] is how you'll add value and contribute.
So that [BLANK] is that impact you'll make.
To be a catalyst for miracles so I can enable others to make a bigger impact on the world.
OR:
To help where I can so I can be a participant
Note: I define a miracle as a result nobody would have predicted.
To achieve this I:
Your WHY is what sets you apart from everyone else. It’s your purpose. It’s what inspires you to take action. It's what inspires others to take action, spread your ideas, or buy your products.
Is your WHY statement:
Your WHY statement should be able to encapsulate all of the qualities we just mentioned---and it should be able to do so in a single sentence.
Why was I born? What did my parents hope to achieve by bringing me into this world and allocating so much of their life to mine?
Why do my clients hire me?
Why did my wife marry me?
Why do our friends make an effort to spend time with us?
Why did I just write this article?