“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it,” says Simon Sinek, author and speaker. In his inspiring talk given at TEDx Puget Sound in 2009, Sinek explores the importance of clarity of purpose in successful management of any project or business. If you own a business, work in a company or are thinking about starting something new, this inspiring presentation provides an excellent foundation that will serve you everyday of your professional career.
What do you believe in? What do you believe about the world? What is important to you? What matters? If you are clear on what you believe in, the rest is just details. If you are clear on what you believe in, you will find others who inspire you to strengthen your resolve. If you are clear on what you believe in, you are much less likely to be distracted by extraneous compulsions.
No one can make you believe anything. You believe what you choose to believe in. Your religious beliefs, your cosmology, your beliefs about life all form the building blocks of your underlying motivations, help shape your decisions and guide your actions. If you have conflicting beliefs, that dissonance will reveal itself in your life or your company. If you are clear on your beliefs, there will be clarity of purpose and a greater chance of efficiency in action.
I encourage you to take a moment this morning to list out some of your fundamental beliefs. Once you have created a list of five or ten core beliefs, take a look at your world as it is presently configured and ask yourself if your world is aligned with what you believe. You might be surprised.
If there are “disconnects,” then ask yourself why. If not, then ask yourself how you can function even more effectively and efficiently in the translation of your beliefs into your choice of words, actions and directions.
Have an excellent, purposeful day!
Gregory Hake 
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Thanks, Gregg, for the important food for thought this weekend. After considering your last two posts, it occurred to me that in order to move out of an old set of beliefs in to a new beginning sometimes it is as simple as another person asking the right question at the right time, a time when the person can answer for themselves, “You’re absolutely right, I want this for myself.” Thank you for asking such questions through your blog!
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You’re welcome, Estelle. Thank you!
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I didn’t know all that background about the Wright Brothers and Simon Pierpont Langley. What a great example of the difference between working from the standpoint of cause or working for a desired effect. My students have been giving presentations on ‘controversial’ subjects, looking at the various sides of what typically tend to be heated topics. One of the students was presenting his topic and, some might say, ‘naively’ concluded that the solution is to inspire genuine virtue in people and make the investment of time it would take for changes to take hold over the course of generations. But here you and Mr. Sinek outline the very key to inspire that kind of change. And really isn’t this the essence of the solution to any problem? We have one life right here and now to make the difference we really want to make deep down in our hearts. Great exercise you suggest – I plan to incorporate it in our classwork. For some of us it’s better late than never to identify these things, but as a teacher I am thrilled to inspire the young to look at these things early and tap into the essence of their passions and creativity so they can live from that place no matter what they are doing in form.
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great point that when we are clear about what we believe in then we can make choices about our lifestyle and who we surround ourselves with to strengthen that resolve. helpful point to become conscious of ‘disconnects’… tells a lot about where you are actually centered.
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You have a knack for getting to the heart of the matter and it has proven to be inspiring on so many levels for me. Thanks for another great one!
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Excellent TEDx presentation – thanks for sharing it!
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Amazing presentation by Mr. Sinek. What a revelation for DeeDee and I when he described that “Dr. King believed that there are two different laws in this world, those that are made by a higher authority and those that are made by man. And not until all the laws that are made by man are consistent with the laws that are made by the higher authority, will we live in a just world. It just so happened that the Civil Rights Movement was the perfect thing to help him bring his cause to life.” It is a perfect illustration of the level of purpose we need to be operating from, and everything else is an opportunity to actualize that purpose. Great weekend posts.
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It’s sad that the general approach right now in the world is “outside in” thinking. The focus on alleviating symptoms rather than eliminating the cause; the focus on what can I get from the situation rather than what can I give; etc, keeps people locked-up, empty, and hungry.
The basic principles for living a rich, exuberant, fully filled life are illustrated beautifully all around us and it’s wonderful to experience the simplicity and lightness of the inside out approach!
Appreciate the invitation to take inventory of our core beliefs this morning . . . . Thank you!
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It strikes me that a mission statement (either a personal one or at the corporate level) can be an effective way to convey the “why” to those who might choose to follow you. This would be a good time to review your mission statement and see if it really addresses they “why” at the center of the golden circle.
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