“Finding WHY is a process of discovery, not innovation.”
Key Takeaways:
- Origin of WHY
- Competing Against Yourself
Finishing up with where to start. Identifying the origin of anyone’s ‘WHY’ and limiting distractions.
I went running the other day and – as I often do during anything cardio – I was trying to trick my brain to think about something other than how tired I was despite only just beginning my route. Considering what to write for this upcoming post, I was trying to think about the ‘WHY’ in my life. What is it am I trying to accomplish? To an extent, it felt like I was trying to force an answer out by the time I finished the run, but it became more of a critical thinking exercise to come up with a myriad of responses for what motivates me on a daily basis.
There is a list of things that I want to accomplish before my time here ends and I am not sure how much, if any, will be completed. What I do know is that I want to simply make an impact based on the strengths I feel are inherent to my personality and experiences. The challenge comes in taking advantage of the platform or tools available in order to make an impact. While I am coaching, I intend to simply use competition as an educational resource for athletes to embrace a passion and reveal characteristics about themselves that at one point could be extrapolated for them to make an impact.
Coincidentally, while on social media this morning, a clip from Coach Pujols out of North Alabama popped up on my feed.
The Head Coach of North Alabama Men’s Basketball Team @CoachPujol:
Know your “why” and let it push you to be the best coach possible! #coaching #motivation pic.twitter.com/x2B27xZkzI
— Rising Coaches (@RisingCoaches) July 14, 2020
The quote at the top talks about finding a ‘WHY’ by discovery, not through innovation. Essentially not trying to force our inspiration by solving a problem, but recognizing a possible problem as the source that drives our daily actions. For Coach Pujols, it was the environment that surrounded him in Miami that motivates him to help high school kids get to college. The possible problems that may exist in the communities are a source of energy that drives Coach Pujols to help create new opportunities.
Compete Against Yourself
“When you compete against everyone else, no one wants to help you. But when you compete against yourself, everyone wants to help you.”
What is the ultimate goal? Everyone faces competition in some capacity. The emergence of success occurs from our own actions, not the failures of anyone else’s. So the focal point is simply to be the best versions of ourselves based upon our ‘WHY,’ then the success can occur organically. And the support is garnered by those that can identify
“And the work we’ll be doing six months from now will be better than the work we’re doing today.”
Final Thoughts on the Book:
I feel like I missed the wave on this one. A few years back when I had bought this book it was very trendy following Simon Sinek, the author’s TedTalk on YouTube. Remembering, the TedTalk was very well organized and clear in its message of understanding the value of leading with ‘WHY’ was incentive enough to purchase the book.
The book didn’t resonate as strong as the talk because I think the message Sinek is trying to make is very simplistic, yet after 200-plus pages, there is a sense of repetition. It can become a lot of reading ‘WHO,’ ‘WHAT,’ and ‘WHY.’
“My WHY is to inspire people to do the things that inspire them…”
The ‘WHY’ is at the core of any organizational mission or program’s identity. The message is to simply stay in balance with our purpose, our ‘WHY.’ The Golden Circle that is introduced discusses the balance and symbiotic nature that our actions will have if we focus on the ‘WHY’ behind our decisions accompanied by ‘HOW’ and ‘WHAT.’ Inspiration doesn’t come from ‘WHAT’ you do or ‘HOW you do it, the catalyst is from ‘WHY.’
The message in itself was great, the rest of the book could’ve been a tribute to the company of Apple – nearly every chapter cites an example of Apple leading the charge by leading with ‘WHY.’ Don’t get me wrong I have an iPhone and appreciate their contributions, but I could’ve used a bit of variety of anecdotes. Overall, the message is a well-intended and positive reminder of what is important. For a website that hopes to inspire the aspired; this book aims to help anyone who wants to be inspired.
Coach's Climb 