Chasing a Worthy Why

Between playing in the snow like a kid and dressing a pit bull in a startup tee, I saw this Sam Altman tweet:

Sam Altman Tweet for Hazeltine 2-2-16 column

The words clicked with my ongoing process of assessing Why I do what I do. The few days of physical and mental space from the startup community gave me room to chew on that question in a deeper way than I had during the hectic beginning of 2016.

When I say assessing, I’m talking about the underlying purpose that drives my investment of energy and self, not the New Year’s resolutions that focus on How I do what I do, or the Twitter bios that mince the “What I do” into 140 characters. The purpose, The Why, to borrow author Simon Sinek’s terminology, is the “thing worth winning” that Altman’s referencing. He’s saying professionals need to clarify whether the thing they’re chasing is worthy before charging forward with all the single-mindedness that we celebrate in the startup world.

Happily, I can report that I have exactly the kind of Why that can motivate me onto my bike on an icy morning, one that’s reinvigorated after a few days of close examination.

See more cute dog pics & my deep thoughts on ExitEvent.