Well, I would like you to think about it for a moment. What is your one thing? What is your purpose? Why do you do what you do? Don’t worry, I am not representing a specific religion, a social movement, or a PR firm. I am not a life coach, motivational speaker or self-help guru. There is no right or wrong answer, only that you think about the question. (No offense to those professions or beliefs and your one thing may be associated with one or more of them, but the question from me is not.) I ask because I wonder if we think about it enough. We are bombarded with the how tos. How to run a business, how to make more money, and how to be a better spouse, parent, friend, and employee. Yet, we are not asking why. My daughter and I sometimes play this game. It starts spontaneously when one of us asks the other to do something and continues like so:

Me: “You should study for that test?”
Daughter: “Why?”
Me: “So you can get a good grade”
Daughter: “Why?”
Me: “So you can get into a good college”
Daughter: “Why?”
Me: “So you have more opportunities”
Daughter: “Why?”
Me: “So you live a happy life”
Daughter: “Why?”

We go on and on until my wife or my other daughter begs us to stop. We should all be playing this game, although maybe not so annoyingly. Your one thing is the why. It is what should drive you to do what you do and, just as important, not do what you don’t need to. Your one thing will be your barometer, your guide, and motivator all in one. It will give you purpose, give life meaning, and provide a journey. It may end up changing very little, it may change much, but give your one thing a chance. It’s still OK to ask how, but don’t forget to ask why, and for the why to make any sense you need to be like Curly and find your one thing.

Another great scene from the movie that explains what might happen if you don’t find your one thing.