WHY? IT’S YOUTH

And The Young Shall Lead

The reality of our lives as we get older, it’s the young that keeps us motivated an excited. Regardless if it is a baby, puppy or kitten, the energy and excitement the very young bring is “priceless.” Take an “old guy” and a new puppy and you just shaved 10 years off his life. Sure it’s demanding but the rewards will last for a very long time.
So why have a melancholy start to this article? Well, we “oldsters” need to adopt another gift from the young: asking “Why?” You know how it goes: “Why not? or Why is that?”
It seems like we stopped asking Why? after we heard No or Just because for the thousandth time. At work, it’s more subtle: it’s the old, My way or the highway. We got the delivered message that someone either knew better or there wasn’t time to allow your thoughts to enter into the decision.
Well, take back some of your control and ask “Why?” Keep asking “Why?” until you get an answer that fits your framework or at least makes sense. The more we discover, the better the outcome.
In sales, people with good sales numbers usually ask 3 times for the sale before ending the sales attempt. In your meetings or your relationships at home, ask “Why?” at least 3 times to see where the discussion leads. If the thread of conversation begins to fall apart doing the “Why’s?” then the other side needs to do more research (or have a better presentation) in order to “sell” you.
This is not an encouragement to be obtuse. Rather, thinking is a skill and asking Why? may lead to new alternatives that would go undiscovered if you only shrugged your shoulders.
It will seem odd at first to ask “Why?” and then repeat it several times. That’s just the adult part of you trying to dismantle kid part of you. Take it from the young: it’s not embarrassing and it’s worth the effort!