I am confused. I thought that “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” In his first TEDx Talk, the 3rd most viewed video on TED.comon, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”, Simon Sinek explains why we are inspired by some people, leaders, messages and organizations over others. The reason is their WHY’s.

Now I read this simple, beautifully crafted post by Julie Zhuo, “All The Things that Don’t Matter”, where she argues that the wind blows away all the whys:

The thing that’s left—the only thing that matters for builders—is whether what’s built is good for the people it was intended for.

And if you think about it, maybe the why’s are blowing in the wind for a while, but eventually all the why’s settle like dust, and nobody cares anymore. Why’s are for historians and scientists, and for the people who earn their living writing books and giving talks.

For the vast majority, reality is a big bad WHAT. Or not?

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Featured Image: Big Bad Wolf by the-avid-gentleman