In 1990, an unknown boxer named James “Buster” Douglas was matched against the then unstoppable Mike Tyson. Douglas took a beating, and was on the verge of being knocked out, but was saved by the bell to end the round. When he got up and the fight resumed, he attacked Tyson with a passion, eventually knocking him out to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
Douglas was such an underdog that Vegas bookmakers didn’t even issue odds on the fight. No one gave him a chance to win.
The secret to Douglas’ success lies with why he was fighting. His mother, who passed away two days before the fight, told him he was going to win. He kept fighting because he had a purpose — he knew why he was fighting, and it was about far more than money or fame.
For all of us, the “why” behind what we are doing is always far more important than the “what” or the “how.” If you find yourself dragging to work each day, wondering what you are doing and what purpose it has, then you are probably missing the “why” in your life. This may manifest itself as boredom, a lack of drive or a feeling that something is wrong with you.
When you lack the “why,” it’s easy to get lost. For example, you might be struggling to stay on a diet. The question to ask yourself is, “Why are you on a diet?” Are you on it just to lose weight? What’s the real reason? The “why” should be something like this: You are on a diet because you want to lose weight and be healthy so you can live a long life. Without a powerful “why,” the diet will most likely fail.
There are some CEOs who are looking for a greater purpose. People ask me what I do and how I do it, but those are the wrong questions — it’s “why” I do what I do that matters.
Each person has to ask what the “why” is for him or her in life. Once you know why you are doing something, the how and what become much easier.
Watch Simon Sinek’s video on “Start with Why,” an in-depth look on how the “why” should be the driver of your business:
https://youtu.be/sioZd3AxmnE
