I have this friend who likes to remind people that you have to put your “what” before your “how.” He has to remind people of this because most of us (that includes me!) get an inkling of the answer to the “what” question, then run off, half cocked, and start tackling the question of “how.” This is almost always a less than ideal course of action. Why? Simply stated, if you haven’t fully answered the “what” question, you’ll never fully solve the puzzle at hand.
So, completely answer “what” first, then go after “how.” I’ve done this before at his urging. Great results…seriously.
Now, I want to add something to the formula, and that something is “why.” The answer to the “why” question is actually the hardest of all. It is easy for “what” to change, particularly in light of the challenges that might arise when we start on the “how” part. I’ve come to believe that “why” is the deepest, most personal, and often most compelling question to both ask and answer. When “why” is clear, “what” is clearer and more enduring. As I’ve already said, “how” follows “what,” and that part of the question remains the same.
In summary, understand the reason a thing must be done (why), define the desired outcome (what), then build the plan to get there (how). It seems elementary to me now, but “why” is the question that I have been avoiding all along. I can already see that the reason I’ve stagnated is because I’ve been pursuing “what” without knowing “why.” As I begin to put “why” into perspective, I can already see the distracting “what” question narrow in focus.
Illuminate Possibilities 