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When Asked “Why?” — Respond With “Why Not?”
Asking “why” is limited, asking “why not” is limitless.
When I tell people I took the New York City subway to the end of every line, I get the same question. It goes something like this:
“Why?”
What do people mean when they say “why” when posed as a question?
What they are getting at is, “why on earth would you do something like that?”
Why would you subjugate yourself to the pits of the subway voluntarily? Why would you take the subway to random neighborhoods you know nothing about? Why spend hours on a train when you could spend that time above ground?
Why?
Before I explain how I answer the question of “why,” let’s understand the power behind the question of why.
The Problem with “Why”
Who, what, where, when, why.
Of the “five Ws” — “why” reigns supreme. And for good reason.
When used properly, “why” is a profound tool. Asking “why” uncovers the deepest of intentions. “Why” gets to the root cause.
Author Simon Sink devoted an entire book about “why,” titled Start With Why. Sinek argues when starting a venture, we need to ask ourselves why we’re doing the work in the first…
