Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

If you’ve ever had kids (or when you were a kid), you know this refrain. But, why? Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why do earthworms surface after a hard rain? Why are we the third planet from the sun?

I was an absolutely annoying little sh*t when I was a kid. I had questions about EVERYTHING! My parents finally bought me a series of books that contained all sorts of interesting facts about all sort of interesting things. I devoured the books. Then I had more questions. 😄 

In the world of problem solving, there is a (relatively simple) technique called the 5 Whys Method. And, basically, it gives permission to be that kid that asks why…well…five times. It’s a powerful approach that can help identify the root cause of a problem. While this approach is applied in the business world to facilitate the discovery of why something didn’t work, we can use it in our personal lives as well for just about anything that is an obstacle to our growth.

Here’s an example:

1. We start by stating our problem: “I keep doomscrolling late at night!”

2. We then ask our first “why” (we’re scratching the surface): Why am I doomscrolling late at night? > Because I don’t want to go to bed

3. Second “why” (we’re digging a little deeper): Why don’t I want to go to bed? > Because when I close my eyes, I can’t fall asleep.

4. Third “why” (we’re moving toward a root cause): Why can’t I fall asleep? > Because my mind races with a million thoughts.

5. Fourth “why” (we’re almost there!): Why does my mind race with a million thoughts? > Because I’m worried about my future.

6. Fifth “why” (lightbulb!): Why am I worried about my future? > Because my health isn’t good.

We’ve identified our root cause for doomscrolling. In this case, we’re worried about our health.

Now that we know our root cause, we can begin to build a plan and take concrete steps toward addressing our worry. Will building the plan make the worry go away? Maybe. Maybe not. But having a plan equips us with the tools to at least begin addressing our worry. It brings the source of our problem into the light of day, allowing us to see it from all angles and confront it directly. It allows us to expend energy working toward a solution instead of spending energy keeping the root cause of our problem in the dark.

And, sometimes, knowing is half the battle.

 Until next week.

Andy

(All written content created the old-fashioned way.)