I recently re-watched Simon Sinek’s 2009 Ted Talk about finding your “why,” which really motivated me a little while back to come up with my personal “why” and inspired me to start this blog so that I could learn from others what drives them to create.
He says in his talk that it is critical for people (and organizations) to get crystal clear about their “why,” because that is ultimately what gets them to wake up inspired to do what it is they do (instead of hitting the snooze button four times) and return home fulfilled at the end of the day, feeling as though they are contributing toward something greater than themselves.
And after discovering your why, you can then think about your "how" and then finally your "what." How are you able to share your why with the world? And what is it that you are offering?
As I watched Simon’s video yesterday, I thought back to a conversation I had over the weekend with my friend, Alex Wallash, one of the founders of The Rare Barrel brewery in Berkeley and basically the captain of our 2019 Burning Man camp, Planet Awesome. Alex told me that his “why” in creating his beer was his strong desire to bring people together so that he and others can live in the present moment.
What I really admire about Alex and what made me think of him as I was watching the Ted Talk video is Alex’s ability to bring people together through a number of different "how's" and "what's", not just through his delicious sour beer or his beautiful brewery (pic below).
Alex is also a DJ and his musical "why" is exactly the same as his beer brewing "why." He is creating music to bring people together so that he and others can live in the present moment. And help everyone dance their faces off. And...as captain of our Burning Man camp, he brought his friends and his sisters together on the Playa so that we could experience his favorite place on earth.
So when you are able to get crystal clear on your “why” like Alex has, not just for your creativity, but also for your life, it becomes your purpose, your cause, your belief about how the world should be. You will wake up inspired to help create that world and hopefully return home fulfilled at the end of the day, feeling as though you’ve made some small contribution toward that cause through your various “how’s” and “what’s.” And then it will be time to celebrate at a place like The Rare Barrel, where Alex will be bringing people together with his music and sour beer.