The Power of Asking WHY?
Agents of Change
WHY? is the most powerful question in discovery, leadership, psychology, human relations, detective work — basically anything. Science, learning, inquiry, justice, laws, rules, behaviors, cultures, progress, regress, history, and romance to name but a few, are all grounded in that one word and that one simple question — WHY?
There is a concept used in investigating failure, injury, change, and success called “The Five Whys”. It does not mean that you ask “Why” only five times. It means that you have to ask it AT LEAST five times to start getting to the root causes, the motivators, and the reasons for whatever it is that you are investigating.
WHY is the foundation of how we think and how we act. We are a motivation-driven species as are most forms of life, so behind most actions and evolutions, there is a string of WHYs.
You can teach a dog new tricks. Why? Is it because that dog loves you or is it because she loves training treats? You can discover a scientific breakthrough. Why? Because your persistent hard work and good fortune unearthed the “Whys” — the root causes for what you were researching. You can love someone. Why? That answer is personal but one should ask the question of oneself for the answer may strengthen the relationship.
You get the point. The WHY is at the root of anything human, natural, social, even unnatural — whether it is an event, a trait, a property, a function, a physical or social law or simply behavior matters little. They are all driven by a WHY.
WHY gets to the root of just about everything, really.
Which is why science and medicine are so effective. They simply keep asking WHY until they get a repeatable, sustainable answer.
If you understand the WHY behind what you do and how you do it, you can address the root causes and create sustainable change, including sustainable self-improvement. It is the best way — much better than borrowing someone else’s HOWs or WHATs that rarely stick.
Stated another way: If you want to execute a successful change you need to understand the root causes — the WHYs — and address them in a sequential, logical, systematic fashion with an effective and actionable plan.
One of the challenges that we have in this world of “instant everything” is that we focus on the “Who”, “What” and “How” and are often ignorant of the “Why” — possibly because it takes time and effort to investigate, comprehend, address and change a root cause.
WHY forces us to investigate the cause, and here lies its greatest power.
When we ask “WHAT do I do to fix this or improve that?” at best we get to the How. “How should I act or how do I deal with this?” But such “What” and “How” fixes are generally temporary or generic.
Permanent self-improvement happens when we address our own WHYs.
So, you may wish to ask yourself “Why do I want or need to improve this?” and “Why is it this way or why am I that way?”
But recognize that these can be difficult questions to answer. Yet until we ask and embrace the WHY behind what we do and how we do it, we may be lost in useless bandaids. Unfortunately, curing the symptoms instead of the causes is a mega trillion-dollar global enterprise tempting us daily with the latest magic pill or guaranteed easy solution.
Sadly, I offer you no quick fixes but I do know of one proven approach. But it takes time and commitment. The good news is that it has a nearly perfect success rate over the long run. It requires a hard look at yourself to explore the WHY of who you are and WHY you are special. But in time such questioning will reveal all that drives you, haunts you, and cures you. Then, either embrace the results and love the way you are unchanged or change the root causes as you see fit. If you decide on the latter, I suggest you do so gently, patiently, and lovingly.
A Final Thought: There are no shortcuts for getting around critical WHYs, but those who bravely explore and address them often open the doors to growth and self-awareness. Why? Because knowledge empowers even when it pertains to ourselves.
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