Cameron is one of my 5-year-old twin grandsons. His favorite word is “why.” John Maxwell observed “Find your why and you will find your way.”

Good luck with that. “Yogi” is my nickname

“Yogi” is my nickname

for Cameron. He is relentless. His twin brother Keenan, on the other hand, simply decides to dismiss me by responding in French or Spanish. He knows I have no idea what he is saying.

It ticks me off that my grandsons are so much smarter than I am. That is because they have the canniest mother in the world, who is also a teacher by profession, 24/7.

No matter what answer I give Yogi, he disregards it as if I ignored him.

It has been said that the “how” is easy when you know the “why.”

That’s what Yogi really wants to know.

Having had both twin sons and twin grandsons makes me something of an expert on answering “why.” Understanding the “why” in life makes the “how” easier to swallow. The more important question might be: “Why even bother?” After all, we cannot rewrite the past.

Maybe that is why God put eyes in front of our heads. If you have driven in Italy or Mexico City, you will find many cars have no rearview mirrors. Perhaps they figure it is your problem not theirs.

Having managed my own insurance agency for decades, I learned the hard way the “how” and “when” have little value until you answer “Why do it at all?”

The answer goes directly to the culture of your business, family, community, church… just name it. Culture defines the mission. As the original Yogi Berra said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!”

Focus defines your mission for a small family or a trillion-dollar business. It is the most important ingredient. Your mission statement should be as short as a book title.

The more succinct it is, the more accurately you have defined your culture.

You can know the “how” but until you know the “why,” you will work for the person who knows “why.” That requires leadership to be demanding, not demeaning.

Those who see darkness can hardly wait for the morning light to open a new day. They have clearly defined their mission… their motivation… and yes, their “why.”

Invest all your resources in defining your “why” and the who, what, when, where and how will follow. It is simple logic. Our best comes from those who are defined by their differences, not their similarities.

In nearly a half century speaking professionally all over the world, I learned to forget the applause, work toward the cause. To get there you must know your “why.”

Rudyard Kipling once observed: “I keep 6 honest serving men. They taught me all I know. Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.”

“Why” defines the goal, says fellow speaker Tony Robbins. “Setting goals is the 1st step in turning the invisible into the visible.”

It is not magic. It is the way to make vision into reality and faith is the substance.

Michael Aun, CSP® CPAE, is a native of Lexington who lives in St. Cloud, Florida.