🎯Starting with Why

Many products and companies try to convince us with features (what they do) and neglect emotional aspects. In his book Start with Why, Simon Sinek introduces a concept called the Golden Circle, emphasizing the need to start with an emotional root cause (the ‘why’). Methods (HOWs) and features (WHATs) become secondary considerations. To pinpoint the ‘why’, Simon Sinek popularized what he calls a ‘why’ statement. It consists of two parts:

1. a contribution part (contribution to the life of others), and
2. an impact part (what it allows others to go on to do or be).

In this sense, a ‘why’ statement is quite similar to what others call a ‘mission/vision’ statement. It can be used by organizations and individuals alike. It is a simplification, but that’s the point. There are many things we can do with our time, and in my case, I am usually not short of ideas (which can be both a blessing and a curse!). A simple ‘why’ statement can act as a filter. Here’s mine:

It has taken me a long time to craft this statement. In the following, I’ll elaborate on its parts.

👐 Contribution: empowering people to develop resilience and mental flexibility

Formulating the contribution part was challenging because it required me to identify the common themes across my experiences. I am quite satisfied with the current formulation though there may be minor tweaks in the future.

The current formulation reflects my perspective on today’s world and society, which is undoubtedly undergoing a period of profound transformation. We are witnessing rapid technological advancements, including the rise of AI, alongside pressing global challenges like climate change. Moreover, many societies are grappling with growing divisions, leaving numerous individuals with a pervasive sense of fear and uncertainty about the future – not just for themselves, but also for their loved ones.

Cultivating resilience and mental flexibility is, in my view, an antidote to the growing environmental pressures we face.

• 🪴Resilience: The ability to withstand and recover from adversity, trauma, or stress.
• 🤸Mental flexibility: The ability to adapt to changing situations, new information, or challenges.

These traits have a stabilizing effect, and scoring high on them can have a positive impact on subjective well-being and, more broadly, on collective well-being. I envision several ways how I can contribute according to my statement, for example:

• enabling students by teaching and mentoring (Jugend Forscht, FSU Graduate Academy, etc.),
• making AI tangible and understandable for humans,
• creating and researching responsible AI solutions that respect human needs,
• crafting community experiences.

The list goes on. For me, the most wonderful thing in the world is to continually discover new ways of bringing my vision to life.

🛸Impact: preserving a culture of human wonder, connection, and compassion in the age of AI

A culture of human connection and compassion offers a powerful alternative to ingroup-outgroup thinking and mutual devaluation. It can create an inclusive sense of unity – not just among ourselves, but beyond when we also align our auxiliary systems (including AIs).

I also added human wondering to the impact part of the statement. This is not just because of my magician affiliation. Our capacity to marvel at the world around us is a unique aspect of our human nature, one that makes us special. It’s basically us, humans, creatures with a heart-felt curiosity and a certain messiness. With a culture of compassion and connection, we have the potential to create a brighter, more exciting future – one that’s filled with happy, fulfilling lives. That’s the impact I wish to see.

📦Wrap up

I have borrowed the whole idea of putting together a ‘personal ‘why’ statement from Simon Sinek’s book Start with Why. I may write a review of this book and its practical follow-up guide Find your Why later. It does not only work for indivuals, but also for teams and organizations. It is invaluable because starting with why works on a deeper emotional level.

Personally, I use a ‘why’ statement because it provides a simple model for deciding what to do. It is not perfectly accurate. But it gives direction.

The approach of using a ‘why’ statement may not be for everyone, but for those who can relate, I highly recommend it. Good luck if you want to give it a try (let me know!).