I presume you understand the importance of WHY questions. Simon Sinek in his book ‘Start with Why‘ talks about the power of ‘why’ in the order of questions. Why gives’ you reason and purpose to do something. Frequently asking ‘why’ keeps recreating the context and stays you active in the game.
But, while working with many of the brightest executives in the country, I realized asking ‘why’ once is just not enough. It gives clarity only to a certain level and that leads to fluctuation in your engagement level while working. I knew we needed to get to the emotional core to stay motivated in the longer term. So, I finally got the answer in the book ‘Made to Stick‘ by Chip and Dan Heath. They give you a very simple tool:
Ask ‘Why is this important?’ three times to get to the emotional core.
For example, you want a promotion in your job.
Ask yourself the first time: Why is the promotion important? The probable answer may be that you want more money. (There could be many other answers, I have taken this just to make the point clear)
Then, ask yourself the second time: Why is more money important? So that you have a better lifestyle.
And finally ask the third time: Why is the better lifestyle important? So that you attract more respect in your community. Now, you have hit the core. This is the reason you want to make more money. Now, money is no more your driver to promotion. It’s social recognition.
Go and try this technique with everything that matters to you in life. I look forward to hearing from you about how well this worked.