Aaron McHugh
  • Start Here
  • Book
  • Podcast
    • All Episodes
  • Field Reports
  • Speaking
  • Workshop
    • Explorers Wanted
  • Free Guides
    • Learning to Pace Yourself: How to Keep Going
    • Road Trip Guide to California’s HWY 1
    • Free 7 day Course to Restoring Balance
    • eBook 99 Ways to Navigate Your Best Life

Aaron McHugh| 2 minute read

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask, “Why?”

I want to share a conversation that reminded me of the importance of asking, “why are we doing this?”

Me: Tell me about how you do your job.

Co-worker: When we finish the project, we overnight a hard copy of the report to each customer (For $50).

Me: Do they like having a hard copy?

Co-worker: I don’t know. The file we create for them is too big to email.

Me: Have you asked customers if they’d prefer an electronic copy instead? Why?

Co-worker: I don’t know. This is the way we’ve always done it.

That evening I realized that I’ve been asking Why all of my life.  In my early years my parents, my teachers and professors really didn’t have a lot of appreciation for the question.  As I recall there were very few other people around me that were compelled to voice this constant question.

My early employers also suffered my incessant asking.  With maturity I gained more couth, but regardless of my improved timing, the question still stuck out in contrast to my fellow conformists.

There is Power in the Question Why?
Some people have abandoned this question in exchange for simply doing what they’re told. But you my fellow heretic are not like everybody else.

The Rule Followers of history claimed,

“The World is Flat”.

“Poor people don’t need to read”

“In order to solve world conflicts you have to go to war”

“No one will ever want a computer in their home”

“That mountain is too high, no man can climb it”

“An Internet bookstore will never work”

Those people who asked WHY punched through

“We’ll I guess I’ll just have to go see for myself”

“We’ll there are more poor people than rich and God seems to care about them too”

“I think I’ll just sit here in the middle of the street and by my presence force them to reconsider”

“Computers will become personal and be in every home in America”

265 people climbed Mt. Everest in 2012

Amazon just celebrated 22 years of global domination in book sales.

Share:
About the Author Aaron McHugh

Aaron McHugh is an executive transformation coach, enterprise agility consultant, writer, podcaster, adventurer, and author of Fire Your Boss: Discover Work You Love Without Quitting Your Job.

More about Aaron

Related Posts

Strategies For Success: Don’t Self-Promote

In today’s me-centric culture, self promotion is the norm. My least favorite self proclamation is when people use words like “Guru” when speaking about themselves. My good friend Morgan taught […]

Read more

Lessons in Managing Your Emotional Calories For Optimal Output

Are you tired? Worn out? A little dull and not sure why? Flirting with burnout? Have you been pushing hard? Just finished a long season of insane work hours? You’ve […]

Read more

Navigate a life worth living

Sign up to receive regular emails about living a fulfilling and meaningful life

Sign Up

Copyright © 2021 Aaron McHugh

About

  • About Aaron
  • Book
  • Joy Bus
  • Contact

Learn

  • Podcast
  • Field Reports

Events

  • Speaking
  • Workshop
  • Coaching

Free Guides

  • HWY 1
  • How to Keep Going
  • Restoring Balance
  • 99 Ways

Follow Aaron