Simon Sinek argues you have one unchanging purpose that runs through every role you play, whether as a friend, colleague, or family member. When your why, how, and what don't align, people sense you're being fake. Your life is a series of chances to live that purpose consistently.
Chapters
Can your professional why be different from your personal why? Can your professional why change based on your role? Ah, thank you for asking this question. Thank you for asking this question. You only have one why. There is no such thing as a personal why and a professional why. You are who you are and the reason your friends love you is the exact same reason your colleagues and your customers and your clients love you. It's because of you. And if you're acting differently in one of those two places, then then in one of those two places, you're lying. There's only one why and the opportunities to bring your why to life personally. Remember, it's not about what you do. So my why is to inspire people. So how do I show up as a friend to inspire people? How do I show up as a colleague to inspire people? I'm going to say different things, but ultimately I have to bring my why to life in different products. Those products are friendly, those products are leader, those products are colleague. Those products are brother and son and uncle and all of these places. These are different products. These are different things that I do that I have to bring my why to life. So you only have one why. And your why never changes your whole life, regardless of the role you play, the opportunity your life affords you is to bring your is all the choices you can make to bring your why to life. So the question is, is what you're doing and why you're doing it consistent? Because only when, why, how, and what are in perfect balance. Do we know who you are?
People tell me all the for years, people say, I forgot the who. No, I didn't. Who is the sum total of why, how and what. When you know what you believe and you follow your values and what you do reflects what you believe in your values, then we know who you are. If those things are out of order or they or you violate those things. People say it's like I don't know who you are anymore. You have one why. Your why never changes. Just like a company, our personal why is an origin story. It's where we come from. It's who we are. It's how we were raised. And the rest of our lives are opportunities to live in balance or not.
