When was the last time you saw a sign that read, ‘happiness for sale?’

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess never.

But, lurking behind almost everything for sale that is not a necessity for safety, security and survival is an implication that it will make you happier.

But will it?

There’s a technique in business called the 5 Whys. The 5 Whys is an iterative interrogative technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem. Essentially, in non-business speak, it means that 5 Whys can help you find what issues caused a problem. The great thing about the 5 Whys process is that it can also be used in your personal life.

The next time you’re thinking about making a major decision or purchase use the 5 Whys as a filter that you run your decision through. I’m going to bet that rarely will you get to the 3^rd or 4^th Why before you land on something along the lines of, ‘because it will make me happy.’

The 5 Whys is an excellent tool to help you uncover the deepest reasons for almost anything you do, and although the tool can be very powerful, the downside is that you have to be open to taking time to work on yourself.  You’ll have to dig a little deeper in to yourself to get to the root of what is motivating you to act.

And, if you’re not ready or open to work on yourself then maybe that would be the ideal place to use the 5 Whys to ask why not.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it please share it with one person you love.