Your World Within Podcast by Eddie Pinero - Finding Your "Why"

Episode Date: April 21, 2020

In this episode I discuss: Simon Sinek's "Start With Why" and how it's message is essential to both productivity and happiness  What Apple does that sets it apart How motivation and inspiration can be fleeting, and what we lean on in those moments A perspective that simplifies the complex and puts us on the road to prosperity   

Good morning. Welcome to Your World Within Daily. I'm Eddie Panero. And in today's episode, we are going to talk about uncovering your why. And as Simon Seneca would say, that is the beginning of everything. So, as I've talked about many times on this podcast, something that I do weekly is read a book and talk about it on my other, my books to business podcast. And this week, In particular, we read a book that one of my top three of all times. I think it's one of the most important reads ever. I was instantly mad at myself that I hadn't read it earlier. I mean, it's just, it's unreal, and it's Simon Sinek's start with why. And the premise is a very simple one. You know, he does a lot of business application, and I'll talk about that a little bit. but I also want to talk about how from an individual standpoint that can really be the standard

we set for ourselves that changes everything right and so he talks about a golden circle I'll keep it very simple and actually it is simple right there's nothing really complex about it so most people when you ask them what they do for work or you know even in their personal life you know what they're doing. You know, they'll start with the what it does, which is the outer layer of the circle. Maybe they'll explain the how, which is the second layer of the circle, but very rarely do people know the center of the circle? Why? What drives everything? What is your reason? And his point is when you start with the why, you get the longevity. the power, the meaning that from a business standpoint, it means loyal customers who believe what you

believe. It means creating an identity for people, not just gimmicks or manipulations to sell products. Right. So for example, Apple knows their why, right, to challenge the status quo. And that means the iPhone for them was not a phone. It was a symbol, right, of creativity, of innovation. It's why they've been in so many different areas. You know, they've transformed the music industry, the cell phone industry, the consumer computer industry, you know, all those things. And they all fit their umbrella. And the people who own those things feel like they're a part of something. Right.

That's why their following is so powerful and so passionate because it's not really about the item. It's about how you feel and what that item represents. But if you were to look at the Motorola, the razor, for example, that phone that we all had, I forget how many years ago, that was innovative and it did well, but after that, that was it. That was a one-hit wonder, as they say, because they didn't have a why. There was nothing powerful or meaning there was no message. It was truly a metal object in your hand. And he talks about the importance of that in the business world.

And when companies lose their why, they lose their way. there's there's that lack of connection and so every single thing they do should be filtered to a why does that match your why and by the way when it doesn't the world lets you know right so he talks about Volkswagen which i believe means of the people you know they have a very specific brand you know the Volkswagen bug sort of the free and happy um tie-dice shirts you know that whole thing. And they forgot their why. They forgot what they symbolized. And there was a point where they tried to produce the, I guess a German-made luxury vehicle, you know, $70,000, perform beautifully, very innovative. All those things are great, except it didn't align with who they

were. It didn't align with what the brand was. They forgot their why. And obviously no one bought it. right it would be like um you know harley davidson selling pink rain boots it just didn't make sense right and i'm sure you get the theme every question you know regarded to acquisition or an idea or a change or anything should run up and be filtered against the question is this who we are and i was listening to it while i was on a run because that's kind of what i do the audio book thing and uh I remember, I was doing what anyone would do, you know, taking these concepts and applying them to myself. And I realized every time I truly got lost or went down a path that didn't serve me in the big picture or in life, it's because I focused on the short term, you know, the glowing object. And I forgot my why.

I forgot what I'm about. And that should be the filter we apply everything to. That's our North Star. That's the most important thing in our lives. And the other day I asked on Instagram, you know, what is your why? And I got some beautiful responses, right? About, you know, what drives people, what gets them excited in the morning? And, you know, it just makes you think that having that passion, that reason, really gives clarity to your life.

And I think that's the most important aspect. You know, there are always so many options and decisions and life can be so complex. But when you take your one thing, what makes you tick, your reason for being on this planet, and you take all these complexities and you filter them against that one thing, really simplifies stuff for you. Not to mention, on a personal level, there's days when you dig deep and you can't find the motivation. There is no inspiration. You're having a down day, a tough time.

You can't figure out why you need to get out of bed or why you should. Why you should take it the extra level or go one step further. And all you have at that point is your why. A strong why carries you through, gets you to the next level. Because motivation, as everyone knows, it comes and it goes. but your why is who you are, it will always be there. And in the toughest times, it's what you have to look to, to hold on to. You know, when we lose that sort of in the monotony of the day to day,

it's when we lose our passion. It's kind of just we're going through the motions, we're doing things, but we kind of forget why we just know it's what we do in life gets cyclical. And we separate from our why. Senate calls that the split. when we forget what makes us us. And, you know, again, he really uses business throughout the book, but I'm sure you'll understand the crossover.

He's talking about a bunch of CEOs in a room, and, you know, all of them were, I forget the name of the conference. It was some, you know, a bunch of bigwigs there that really, you know, successful businesses. And they're all sitting there kind of talking about. reminiscing about the startup days and how much that meant to them and how they want to recapture that feeling because now they have the money and the success and you know their companies are doing well but it's just not the same because over a period of time they lose that why and not only

does that you know ultimately send you down the wrong path at some point um but it takes the excitement out of things. I mean, the what and the how really don't matter if you don't have a why. And that's really all the message is, you know, today to find that why, recapture that why, think about it, and use that as the filter that all this nonsense and all this complexity and all these things that happen in your life that guard against those things. Because again, I feel like life is a perpetual battle to make the complex simple. You know, simplicity, clarity is such a gateway to happiness. You realize that, you know, things don't have to be as convoluted as they are. Life can be simple, but it takes thought and it takes a little bit of effort. And as Simon Seneca

would say, the beginning of that, in life, in business, in anything. It's understanding your why. What means the most to you? And how can you make that the center of your universe? Have an amazing day, my friends. I will talk to you tomorrow.