Find Your Why

Author: Simon Oliver Sinek

The concept of "Why" is a deeply personal journey born from pain. I discovered the idea at a time when I had lost passion for my work, and the advice people gave me didn't help: "Do what you love," "Find what makes you happy," and "Be passionate." All accurate advice, but completely impractical. I agree with all this advice in theory, but I don't know what I need to change. I didn't know what I needed to do differently at the beginning of each week. This is why "Why" was—and still is—a deeply impactful force in my life. Discovering my "Why" not only helped me rekindle my passion, but it also gave me the filter through which I make better decisions and provided me with a new lens to see the world differently. Through this lens—to inspire people to do what inspires them so that together we can change the world—I began to propagate the concept of "Why" and the Golden Circle. And people listened to me. In fact, people did more than listen; they joined me in spreading this message and shared the vision with me. Thus, our movement was born. My TED Talk in 2009 helped convey the idea to more people, and my first book, Start With Why, gave greater depth to the cause I was presenting. Individuals and organizations who know their "Why" enjoy greater and longer-lasting success, gain greater trust and loyalty among employees and customers, and become more innovative and forward-thinking than their competitors. The concept of "Why" and the Golden Circle became a large piece of the puzzle for developing this world I envisioned, but there was a problem. Although I was able to prove the existence and power of "Why," and although I could help some people and organizations discover their "Why," I couldn't reach—or help—the greatest number of people we need to assist to have an impact on the lives of many of them. My team built upon what I started and made it better than before. They started helping people. They even developed an online course to help people discover their "Why." But even this wasn't enough. And this is why this book was written. If Start With Why presents the case for the existence and importance of "Why," this book provides the steps that show people how to do it. As Start With Why explains, although I am the originator of the idea, I didn't know how to apply it on a broad scale—and that's where "David" and "Peter" came in.