Five Whys
Did you ever wonder why something was done? Not just completed, but why it was done ... on a much deeper level.
Just how do you go about figuring that out? There are so many different ways of attacking the question. Just how do you get to the root? It's simpler than you may think. Just ask a kid how they learn.
It's the Five Whys.
The system is deceptively simple and the results are astonishingly insightful. Let's do an example.
Let's look at why we lock the doors to our houses. Start off with the first question, then ask another why question ... formulated from the previous answer. Do it five times. Five levels deep. Sometimes you get an answer sooner, sometimes you can go even deeper.
Why do we lock the doors to our homes? To keep people out.
Why do we keep people out? Because some people we don't want in our house.
Why don't we want them in our house? Because we don't want them stealing from us.
Why will they steal from us? Because they want our stuff to get money.
Why do they want money? Because they don't have a job.
So you can see, one of the reasons that we lock our doors is that there are people who don't have a job that may steal from us. (No social commentaries allowed here...this is an illustration).
Let's try another. This is one that I did with my kids when they were small. It went something like this:
Kids, you need to do your homework.
Why? Because you need to do well in school.
Why? Because you need to get good grades.
Why? Because it will get you into a good college.
Why? Because you can then get a good job.
Why? So you can earn money to take care of your family. Your kids. Put a roof over their heads and food on the table.
Even when young, my kids (in grade school) learned the ramifications and importance of what they were doing at that point in their lives. They didn' thave to "believe" me or my reason, they discovered the answer on their own...by asking why?
You are never too young or old to ask why. Never outgrow using this great question.
So what are the answers to your whys?
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