how > who > why > what > when > where.

This past weekend I did many things that normally make me very uncomfortable.

I traveled. Internationally even.

I was away from home for four days.

I turned off my phone.

I wore a suit.

I wore shoes with that suit, and even once without the suit.

I spent a lot of time with a lot of people doing a lot of things.

As I spent 14 hours traveling to and from Argentina (which I would do again, if only to eat Alfajor de Maicena from Salto), I spent a lot of time thinking about the how, what, when, why, who and where we do things.

Why drives What.

At first, I spent most of the time thinking about the importance of why. We, as individuals, are driven to do because something inspires us. We do because we have a why.

What drives Where.

With the explosion of the “internet-connectedness” of us all, where doesn’t matter. But it does. I could not have had the same experience if I had stayed home from Argentina.

Who drives What.

I would not have done any of the things I did if it were not for the people I did them with.

When drives Who.

They say timing is everything, but truly great things are nouns. They require a person, a place (and perhaps a thing).

How stands alone.

But of all of the questions of life: Who, What, Why, When, Where and How, only How stands alone in it’s importance.

Adolf Hitler and Ghengis Khan are not remembered for being leaders/dictators, but for how they chose to try and conquer the world.

John Dillinger and Jesse James are not remembered for being bank robbers, but for how they stole.

Mother Teresa and Florence Nightingale are not remembered for being nurses, but for how they treated people who needed it most.

How is always the little things.

It’s the smile afforded a friend in a time of sadness. It’s the meticulousness of the drips of sauce on a five star plate.

How is the defining difference between a narrowly missed pass, and winning the Super Bowl.

Once our bones turn to dust, we will be remembered for How we did the things we did. How we performed our unique magic to create the Whats and the Wheres and the Whys.

How stands alone in it’s importance in the decisions we make.

So hate on people for living lives different from yours. Find fault in the failures of others and solace that they are not yours.

While some may believe in the short term power of What, Why, Who, When and Where.

How is the true driver of legacy.