Thinkin’ Bout: Why?

Why?
I think I’m pretty good at asking myself why I do things, or reflecting as it’s called in teacher training. As an educator, I was good at this. I could self criticize my lessons and adapt them in real time. I’m confident saying that this was one of my greatest strengths in the profession.

And I think we’ve got to ask “why” about everything, especially to ourselves. I’ve mentioned it on the blog before, but Curtis Retherford mentions in his podcast “Improv Beat by Beat” that you shouldn’t climb a ladder just because it’s there to be climbed. In other words, if you took an improv class to be better at public speaking for your job, and now you are, then there’s no reason for you to tie your identity up in getting on a weekend team at your improv theater. If you want to climb, climb, but know why you’re doing it.

Another great example in my life came from an article I read where Liz Schumer described that she hated meal prep. In a few short paragraphs, she absolutely torpedoed the logic behind meal prepping for me. I realized I was trying to meal prep to save time because that’s what people do. I realized I could just plan to cook meals during the week that took less time, enjoy the process, and not eat sweaty fridge meat five days a week. I’m glad I was forced to ask why.

And it works the other way, too. Recently, I joined a freelancing group where the leader touts that you should stop wasting time writing a blog. His argument is that your clients likely aren’t reading it, and at worse, you’re giving free advice to your competition. He makes a compelling point. Objectively, if I’m straight looking to convert time to money, then this is not my most efficient path.
But hey there, reader. I’m still here!

An older version of me would have stopped my blog immediately because an expert said so. The current version of me asked why I decided to start my blog again, and realized it had little to do with the marketing of it. I just like doing it. I like the chance to reflect.

I like to think about the whys.