Five Whys : A method to discover core reasonings

Writing this, I am a few days off from my last day of employment with my beloved company. I have decided that I will not be looking for another permanent full-time employment somewhere else. Instead, I have made up my mind and, more importantly, my heart that I want to tread the path of an entrepreneur.

I think there are many reasons – extrinsic and intrinsic ones – that I have thought of which led me to my decisions. But here today, I would like to deploy the Five Whys methodology, and deeply answer the question: Why am I doing this?

The Five Whys method is one that I discovered whilst I was reading Eric Reis’s book, The Lean Startup. In the book, the Five Whys is used as a tool of discovery to deeply analyse and understand the problem or issue that a startup may be facing. By asking the question “Why?” five times to an initial problem at hand, the team will be able to uncover underlying and root issues that is the true cause of the surface symptom that they are facing.

I quite like this method as it bluntly forces you to face the challenge at hand and critically question it until you discover more meaningful answers to the challenge. I have used this several times for problem solving practical issues at work, for business vision formation exercises on side consultancy projects, and to help (and annoy) my friends. For my purpose, I am using it to achieve clear-cut clarity on this journey that I am embarking on.

The Five Whys

1. Why am I doing this?
   Because I want to someday run my own business and company.
2. Why is that?
   Because I want to earn sustainable income for myself by myself without having to abide by or obey to anyone else’s rules and instructions.
3. Why?
   Because I want to be independent and have the freedom to do whatever I truly want.
4. Why?
   Because I want to be able to prove to myself that I am able to stand on my own two feet, by myself, on my own.
5. Why?
   Because I want to know evidently that I am genuinely capable and competent to achieve any goal I set myself to.

Whew. That took a bit of soul searching, but now I know why I am truly doing this: Because I want to know evidently that I am genuinely capable and competent to achieve any goal I set myself to.

And with that: Ready, set, go!