Life’s Golden Circle

Nothing beats a child’s curiosity especially when he or she is trying to understand what adults do what they do. “Why do you have to go to work and not stay home and play with me?” It’s easy to brush this off and say that we need work to make money. Why? So that I can afford to buy things for you and me. Why? So that we do not lack and run out of things. Why? Life can be expensive when you are not prepared with money so it is good to have enough, if not more than enough. When you think you have answered all the questions and no more whines and whys, you hear, “Don’t worry. When I grow up, I will make that money so that you don’t have to work any more and can play some more.” Cute as this is, it is also a wake-up call- how much is enough to stop worrying about what we need once in a while to take in the fresh air and consider why we need it, if not to play more?

Imagine a company that just rambles about what they sell and how they make it, but never really explains why they exist. “Premium quality…made for you and your loved one… you will love it!” This is the kind of thing Simon Sinek, a business author, says most companies do wrong in his book, Start with Why. Sinek’s idea is simple: start with why. What’s the real reason a company exists? What bigger cause would it be fighting for? This “why” is the emotional core that gets people truly invested in a brand. After this, consider the approach towards that why; this is the “how”. And finally, the final output is the “what” which would be the product and services offered by a company. For your everyday employee, the “what” could be the take-home or pay from work. This 3-level analysis is known as the Golden Circle which Simon Sinek has delved deep into whether in talks or his book. On a more personal level, this got me thinking about my why, how and what – if at all they exist 🙂.

So why do I do what I do? The “why” in a company keeps the employees fired up and waking up every morning to work, navigating the traffic jams and crazy motorists at times. On top of this, it is bound to attract customers who believe in what you’re doing. For me, this is like a personal mission statement with some serious passion behind it. Not just passion but my purpose. Why do I write? To challenge my limits and creative boundaries learning from others. The more I read the more I can confidently write. To provoke, to learn, to teach and to pun. A friend of mine once told me to put down my thoughts on paper so that I never lose the train of thought. Hence the tagline for this blog Putting it down on paper… With a strong “why,” those bumps in the road become stepping stones, and you are less likely to forget or lose the drive you have on your projects, business or work. At times, we work so that we can fund or fuel our purpose so that we sustain our causes. Earning and making money is necessary for survival but is not our sole purpose on Earth. Good health and comfortable living is not a purpose on its own. My challenge to myself is this: my “why” should be enduring and in one way or another involve a sort of social impact for it to have a sense of purpose. What is “purpose” if not for the good of the people?

“Singleness of purpose is one of the chief essentials for success in life, no matter what may be one’s aim.”

John D. Rockefeller

How you go about this would be your approach. For a business or project, this involves having a framework that sets up the processes and basic foundation. The path towards making your enterprise stand out from the rest. It may be the customer service. It may be the communication. It may be the follow-up calls after service. All of these depend on the vision and mission of what you are working on. If I have a vision towards mental, physical and spiritual wellness then I check into what I have in place to help me. Is my diet in check? Am I working out? Do I guard my spiritual walk closely through attending church, prayer and fellowship? Am I setting aside time to read and watch content that enlightens, teaches and nourishes? Most organisations have a pretty good understanding of how they do what they do. It’s what distinguishes them from the crowd. So, even at a personal level, it is worth thinking about how you would like to do what you do — the how is often rooted in values.

Lastly, we have to consider the what. End of the day, the “what” is the product or service that a company wants to provide to the customer base. For a person, the “what” could be the job title or the role in the business. Although, this can be confused with your identity at times. Remember, how you were asked to describe yourself and said “I am an accountant”? Well, this is more of what you do, hopefully, based on a vision (why) and values (how) that help you navigate your professional space. In essence, your “what” would be the vehicle through which you express your “why” and “how”. For a singer, these are songs. For an artist, this is the art. For a doctor, this would be the consults and operations performed. We all have something to offer of which we just need to open our minds and hearts to them. But it all starts from the inside looking out.

On the Golden Circle, I can’t say that I am an expert or pro at it. I mean I still wake up every weekday to work to pay the bills and look for other ways to make more money (I probably should start charging a subscription fee for all these nuggets I share 😁). But the more I recall life’s experiences the more I relate different phases as leading to my why, how and what. They have gone through evolution, changes, deletion and pivots. Knowing your “why,” your true motivation, allows you to stay focused and resilient. After understanding your “why,” next up is identifying your “how”- your unique way you achieve results which will be the “what”.

Ultimately, the way I look at it, life is all about knowing why I do what I do rather than focusing on what I do. That said, what’s your “why”?

“It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something.”

Winston S. Churchill

Why Paint?

As a child, I used to draw a lot. Every chance I would get my pencil and sketch pad and get cracking on a new piece. From comics like ‘Supa Strikas’ and Gado to the Simpsons and Superman comic strips. Sketch it. Draw it. Trace it. Colour if you like. Paint if you want to be fancy. An artistic outlet that I found as a kid to my teenage years slowly faded because of societal priorities- studying, working, getting a job, working on a business and the like. Not to say that one can’t still draw and still go about their daily lives, but as a kid, you would draw or even paint and that’s it. As we grow older, we have the tendency to ask ourselves why we would want to do something if it does not bring a benefit, especially financial or progressive. So the passionate ones made their hobbies their livelihood. And the ones who could do what they considered a hobby or sport would be the after-work activity when we have done the necessary things we need to get the bills paid. But there is a lot more to have that passion and hobby, and keeping at it even if it’s not for a monetary or business benefit.

If you ever want to stir up the mind and get it active, then look no further. Art naturally causes something to stir up in the mind. This ranges from arousing your curiosity and awe to causing frustration and boredom. This may sound strange but the ability to feel good and bad is very important- identifying what inspires you and that which depresses you is key to being aware of who you are and what you feel. It is definitely better than just being there – neutral, dull and unmoved. Our artistic side gives reveals another level of our own minds and our ability to create worthwhile work from scratch with our own hands. Children will always be proud of the outcome of their painting no matter how it comes out. It may be a blob, blur, three-winged bird or flying donkey- it doesn’t matter. It’s their painting and creation that they are proud of and know that without a doubt needs to be framed and hung on the wall. I, on the other hand, will be comparing my work with the object I am painting from perhaps. If it doesn’t come out as I intended, then I’ll start afresh until it’s perfect. The question of perfection though is subjective because some of the greatest artists’ work was not perfect but considered masterpieces. The kids’ point of view: paint for paint’s sake and not perfection.

“Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.“

Ray Bradbury

Once you realize that your artistic venture is more adventure than a business or a perfection venture, you develop a different perspective. It’s the perfect opportunity to go down a creative rampage and unleash what you think and feel in colour and high definition. Painting allows you to bring your whole self to the table, or canvas. You end up thinking about what you want to paint and at the same time letting yourself go with the flow. As we grow older, we find ourselves choosing between black or white, good or bad, science or arts, career or business, rent or own – the choices could be endless. The choice we make defines the rest of our lives. The jump to get your creative juices is not a binary choice but multi choice of colours, patterns, methods, canvas etc. Just like any art or hobby, there are probably suggested and preferred ways of doing something but that does not mean that you can’t forge your own path. That doesn’t mean as a cook you can’t tweak your recipe. As a writer, you will always find other people’s styles a bit different from yours, not to mean that you are failing- just unique. Keep painting. Keep creating. Keep forging your path.

Why paint? Why practise that hobby? Why work hard at improving that skill that you like to do in your spare time? Artwork is one way we gradually change our perspective as a result of more and more practice on it. It gets us into a different time or place if we are painting from a picture and fuels our imaginations if we are painting abstractly. More often than not the impact art has on us appears small like a seed, but once exposed it germinates and grows into something only each individual’s mind is capable of creating. There is no right or wrong way of bringing to life what you love to do. It’s not as binary as we think. All you have to do is have confidence in yourself and your ability to fuel your commitment to becoming better at what you do. Along the way, you discover other people on the same road not necessarily to compare yourself to them but to learn different approaches to the same. After all, the comparison will not result in perfection, only practising your own skill will.

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”

Pablo Picasso