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I'm currently reading "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek. A great book with a very simple, but eye-opening lesson: we shouldn't define ourselves by what we do, but by why we do it.
A company that exists to make money will maybe make money, but will never inspire employees to innovate. That company will hire employees who want to make money and not employees who want to change the world.
A company that has a real mission that explains why it exists, however, will rally people around it who believe in that mission, cultivating a mindset that fosters purpose and innovation.
The same is true for pretty much every part of life: if we don't know why we're doing things, we'll quickly get bored and uninspired.
Why have I been writing a weekly newsletter about "growing as a knowledge worker" for the last 40 or so weeks? Certainly to build a following to which I can try to sell some products (I promise I will come up with some products over time). But first and foremost because the insights I'm writing about have helped me and can hopefully help some of you. That's the mission.
Why have I been writing a blog about software development for the last 5 or so years? Yes, to earn some side money (which doesn't even pay the ridiculously expensive Sydney rent). But first and foremost because most technical content on the internet isn't doing a good job at teaching. The mission is to teach readers not only how something works, but why they should do it in a certain way, which makes for better learning. As you can see, the "Why" is even part of the reflectoring mission.
Why am I going for a run every morning (or trying to, at least)? Because I don't want to feel bad about not doing any sports. That's not a mission, that's an excuse. And it's the reason why I don't enjoy running at all and why I'm very likely to skip it. I don't have a mission and I know it.
What about you? Why are you doing the things you do? And why aren't you doing the things you know you should be doing?
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