Start With Why

 

Jim Kwik has inspired me to "learn" to read.  I have read so many books only to forget what I have read.  I often read a paragraph and have to re-read it multiple times.  This is SO frustrating!  I LOVE books.  Reading was my escape growing up.  I have about 1,000 books in my office/library at home and haven't read most of them.  Jim Kwik has so many amazing podcasts and You Tube videos that have inspired me.  I have committed to reading 52 this year.  So, an average of one book a week.  

October 11, 2021, I began this journey.  I chose to read Start With Why, by Simon Sinek.  It has been sitting on my book shelf for at least two years.  I have finished this book in a week.  Off to a good start!  Start With Why is an easy read.  I definitely picked an easy book to start my quest.  I learned a lot from this book.  It spoke a lot on major inventors, CEOs, and founders of industry giants; Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, Apple, Ron Bruder, the Wright Brothers, etc.  It was all so interesting!

Some of my main take aways from this book are as follows:

1.  The Golden Circle

Sinek describes The Golden Circle, which are three concentric circles.  The inner circle is WHY, the second circle is HOW and the outer circle is WHAT.  According to Sinek: 

"WHY is just a belief, HOWs are the actions we take to realize the belief, and WHATs are the results of those actions.  When all three are in balance, trust is built and value is perceived."  

 

2.  Inspire!

Inspire others as opposed to manipulating others.  This inspiration has to begin from within.  If you are inspired (this is your WHY), your actions will be authentic, and authenticity breeds trust.  When others trust you, they too will be inspired and community success, as well as personal success, is inevitable. 

3.  Belonging

We humans have an intense need to belong.  On a personal note, I believe (one of my WHYs) that we are not solitary creatures!  We need others.  We need relationships.  We need love and acceptance.  Surrounding ourselves with people that share our values is vital to success.  When we have a positive peer group (reference to Jim Kwik) which share beliefs and values with us, we feel we belong.  We feel a part of something.  And it is so much easier to follow through with goals when we have a sense of belonging and support!

4.  Limbic and Neocortex

We have a hard time explaining why we do the things we do.  Sinek discusses the limbic brain and the neocortex.  He says: 

"The part of the brain that controls our feelings has no capacity for language.  It is this disconnection that makes putting our feelings into words so hard.  We have trouble, for example, explaining why we married the person we married...... we talk around it or rationalize it, 'She's funny, she's smart,'..... But there are lots of funny and smart people in the world, but we don't love them or want to marry them."   

It's not WHAT the other person is, rather how they make us feel that makes the difference.  And it is so hard to put feelings into words!  We often make decisions in life based on how we feel.  So many things we do are a result of being emotionally driven.  Sinek puts it this way:

"Great leaders are those who trust their gut (feelings!).  They are those who understand the art before the science.  They win hearts before minds.  The are the ones who start with WHY."   

 

5.  Langley vs Wright Brothers

I know who the Wright Brothers are.  But I have never heard of Samuel Pierpont Langley.  Langley had education, money, power and great connections.  He put together a dream team of engineers and inventors.  He had media following his every move.  He was going to build an airplane that could successfully fly.   The Wright Brothers did not have education, money, power, or any connections.  They funded their adventure with the earning from their bicycle shop.  One had a recipe for success, the other for failure.  And yet, the Wright Brothers were the successful team.  

"What Langley and the Wright brothers were trying to create was exactly the same; both were building the same project.  Both... were highly motivated.  Both had a strong work ethic....What the Wright brothers' team had that Langley didn't wasn't luck.  It was inspiration.  One was motivated by the prospect of fame and wealth, the other by a belief."

The Wright brothers didn't want fame.  They wanted to change the world.  They saw the benefits to all people by providing another mode of transportation.  Langley's attempt at flight landed in the Potomac River.  The Wright brothers were successful.  Instead of being inspired to build upon the Wright brothers' technology, Langley quit.  He wasn't first, so his WHAT crumbled.  

6.  Shackleton and The Endurance

Sir Ernest Shackleton lead an expedition in 1914.  He and his 27 man crew embarked upon the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.  The expedition lasted three years.  They did not complete the mission to trek the uncharted territory.  Their ship, Endurance, was crushed by ice.  Amazingly, all members of the expedition survived.  They all shared the same WHY.  They were on an adventure to walk the last bits of earth that had yet to be trekked upon.  They all knew the difficultly of the task.  But because they all believed in the same goal, they were able to survive, despite having not completed the intended goal.  They were not in it for the fame, but for the curiosity of the world!  Therefore, they did not give up, as Langley did, when it became apparent they would not succeed.  

7.  Energy vs Charisma

Sinek says:

"Charisma...comes from a clarity of WHY.  It comes from absolute conviction in an ideal bigger than oneself.  Energy, in contrast, comes from a good night's sleep or lots of caffeine.  Energy can excite.  But only charisma can inspire.  Charisma commands loyalty.  Energy does not."

I like this because I think of times when I have been excited by an energetic speaker.  For me, that excitement is short-lived.  Often, I have lost the excitement not even 24 hours after having listened to an energetic speaker.  Energy is good, but charisma is long-lasting.

There are many other examples provided in this excellent book.  It's definitely inspirational, and I recommend this book to anyone.  It is an easy read, a page-turner for sure.  I finished reading this book on October 18, 2021 and I hope the inspiration lasts.  My next book is, The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver.