Start With Why

I recently finished Start with Why by Simon Sinek, and two ideas stayed with me long after I closed the book. The first is his “Golden Circle” concept. Most of us explain what we do, maybe how we do it, and stop there. But Sinek flips it. He says everything meaningful starts with why—the purpose, belief or reason behind what we do. Then comes the how, which is the process or approach that brings that purpose to life. Only then comes the what, the actual product or outcome. We’re so used to communicating from the outside in—what, how, and rarely why. But the leaders and organisations that inspire us the most do the opposite. They start with why and work their way out. It sounds simple, but when you look at brands or individuals you admire, this pattern becomes obvious.

The second idea is something I didn’t expect but found incredibly powerful. Sinek talks about competition, but not in the usual sense. We often think the world is our opponent—everyone is running the same race, and our job is to get ahead. The problem with that is there’s no finish line, and you’re constantly watching your shoulder. But he flips that too. If you compete with the world, the world competes right back. But if you compete with yourself—just trying to be better than your previous version—the world strangely starts cheering for you. He illustrates this with the story of a differently abled runner. In a regular race, everyone tries to outdo the others. But when this runner stepped onto the track, no one was trying to beat him. They were encouraging him, supporting him, wanting him to finish strong. The competition shifted from “me versus you” to “me versus me,” and the crowd responded differently. People don’t resist someone who is improving themselves—they respect it, and often help.

Both ideas connect in a quiet way. When you start with your why, you’re not scrambling to outperform others. You’re anchored in your own direction. And when you compete with yourself instead of the world, progress feels lighter. You don’t need everyone to lose for you to win. Sometimes the race is just about running the next lap better than the last.