Why We Do What We Do ?
What a six-year-old author, Simon Sinek, and everyday people can teach us about purpose.
Lately, I've been thinking about purpose.
We often celebrate people's achievements, the businesses they build, the books they write, the stages they stand on, but we rarely ask what inspired them to begin. I wanted to understand what keeps people going when progress is slow, challenges arise, and no one is watching.
So I asked a simple question:
"What's your why?"
Why do you write?
Why do you speak to influence young minds?
Why do you lead?
I expected a few thoughtful responses.
Instead, I discovered something much deeper.
Behind every career, side project, and act of service was a story that could never fit neatly onto a CV. People spoke about loss, faith, family, resilience, gratitude, and hope. Different journeys, yet they all pointed to the same thing: purpose.
Their answers reminded me of an idea popularised by Simon Sinek in Start With Why: people connect less with what we do than why we do it. While his idea is often applied to leadership and business, I believe it speaks to something even more personal.
Perhaps our "why" is really about identity.
One Story That Stayed With Me
Among the stories I came across, one stayed with me.
Six-year-old J'ana Price noticed that some children around her struggled to believe in themselves. Instead of waiting for someone else to help, she wrote a book called Finding Myself because she believed it could encourage them.
That simple decision made me pause.
What kind of child sees a problem and thinks, Maybe I can do something about it?
At six years old, she demonstrated something many adults spend years searching for: a purpose beyond herself. Her achievement is inspiring, but what moved me most was the reason behind it.
Before the World Told Us No
Children dream before they learn limitations.
As we grow older, possibility often becomes caution, curiosity becomes hesitation, and confidence gives way to doubt.
Yet the people making a difference in their communities, workplaces, families, and creative pursuits seem to have one thing in common.
They kept moving despite the fear.
Not because they were fearless.
Because their why mattered more than their fear.
The people I spoke with rarely mentioned money, status, or recognition. Instead, they spoke about making a difference, helping others avoid struggles they had experienced, creating opportunities they never had, or becoming the person they once needed.
Different stories.
One common thread.
Purpose.
A Question Worth Asking
I didn't ask people this question because I expected everyone to have the same answer.
I asked because I think we spend too much time comparing achievements and too little time understanding what drives them.
When we know someone's "why," we see more than success.
We see resilience.
We see values.
We see humanity.
Maybe children don't dream bigger than adults.
Maybe they simply haven't learned to doubt themselves yet.
Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped asking,
"What if I can?"
and started asking,
"What if I can't?"
Perhaps our why is what leads us back to curiosity, courage, and the person we were before the world told us no.
So let me leave you with the same question that started this article:
What's your why?
Because understanding what we do explains our work.
Understanding why we do it often explains who we are.
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