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WHY
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The outer section of the Golden Circle—
the WHAT—corresponds to the outer
section of the brain—the neocortex. This
is the part of the brain responsible for
rational and analytical thought. It helps us
understand facts and figures, features and
benefits. The neocortex is also responsible
for language.
The middle two sections of the Golden
Circle—the WHY and HOW—correspond
to the middle section of the brain, the
limbic system. This is the part of the
brain responsible for all our behavior and
decision making. It’s also responsible for
all our feelings, like trust and loyalty. But
unlike the neocortex, the limbic system has
no capacity for language. This is where “gut
feelings” come from. It’s not our stomach.
It’s a feeling we get about a decision we have
to make that we struggle to explain.
That separation of powers is the biological
reason we sometimes find it difficult to put
our feelings into words (“I love you more
than words can say”), explain our actions
(“The devil made me do it!”) or justify our
decisions (“I don’t know ... it just felt right”).
We can learn, however, to put words to
those feelings. And those who do are the
ones who are better able to inspire action
in themselves, among their colleagues and
with their customers.
THE WHY EFFECT
Once you understand your WHY, you’ll be
able to clearly articulate what makes you
feel fulfilled and to better understand what
drives your behavior when you’re at your
natural best. When you can do that, you’ll
have a point of reference for everything you
do going forward. You’ll be able to make
more intentional choices for your business,
your career, and your life. You’ll be able
to inspire others to buy from you, work
with you, and join your cause. Never again
should you have to play the lottery and act
on gut decisions that are made for reasons
you don’t really understand. From now on,
you can work with purpose, on purpose.
From now on, you can start with WHY.
If we want to feel an undying passion
for our work, if we want to feel we are
contributing to something bigger than
ourselves, we all need to know our WHY.
Discover your WHY at:
startwithwhy.com/p/why-discovery +
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This is an edited excerpt that first appeared on Linkedin from "Find Your Why: A Practical
Guide for Finding Purpose for You and Your Team" by Simon Sinek with David Mead and
Peter Docker. Copyright © 2017 by Sinek Partners, LLC.