The Importance of Why – Epipheo
Posted: February 1, 2013 Filed under: InspirationStuff | Tags: Art, Blog, business, Cincinnati, Company, Epipheo, Epipheo Studios, Inspiration, Life, News, Seattle, United States, Writing 3 Comments »
In 2011, I worked at different companies in and around Cincinnati. I stayed with a bunch of different families, eating their food and then cleaning the dishes. I stayed with Stephen – one of the partners of a company called Epipheo - and his family for about three weeks. During those three weeks, Stephen would tell me about all kinds of crazy stories he had experienced in the past, along with explaining the nature and structure of his company. If I had just been a regular intern at Epipheo, I don’t think I would’ve learned as much as I did in that short amount of time while living in his house.
Stephen told me about Ben, who is one of the co-founders of Epipheo. Ben lived in Seattle, so I wrote him an e-mail and asked him if I could visit him. He agreed and I was off to Seattle. I had dinner with him and his family and a few friends of his. I asked him about Epipheo and how it all started and what advice he had for me if I wanted to start a business similar to theirs. He told me something that I won’t forget.
He said, “At Epipheo, when we first started the company, we needed to figure out why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
I mean, there are tens of thousands of companies that do what they do for money or fame or both. But if you eliminate those two things, what are you left with? What is it that really drives you? What are you most passionate about? What’s your mission?
When Ben said that, I began to realize that I don’t only need to find my mission – I need to figure out why I’m doing it. If I don’t know why I’m doing what I do, then I’m up for sale. Anybody can buy me and ask for my service in return for money because I don’t know what I’m about… and I need money. I don’t believe that humans were created to be each other’s financial slaves. If you don’t have a solid foundation for what you stand for or what you believe in, then you will be pushed around by others who will use your lack of passion to increase their business.
Find out why you do what you do. Find people with whom you can collaborate and build relationships. Start a project, a company, a foundation, whatever. Forget about the money and the fame and other selfish desires. What do you want to see happening in the next five years? It’s not about being successful; it’s about being significant.
If you want to have a more detailed version of what I just talked about, watch this video of Ben talking about Epipheo at Bold Fusion: Truth, Story, & Love: The Importance of Why
If you want to know more about Epipheo, visit:
their website: http://epipheo.com
their video site: http://epipheo.tv
YES! This is the point I try to get across to people. It is to that point I have set my goal and before I do I hope to help the world see that and get back to what really matters in life.
“I don’t believe that humans were created to be each other’s financial slaves.”
Wow, I’ve never even thought about it like that before. I agree with everything you said. Something as personal as your own company, foundation, etc. should definitely be based on more than financial gain. Great post!
The very interesting thing about this is that this principle aligns perfectly with our brain…:
When communication focuses on the HOW or the WHAT, it addresses the so called “neocortex”. That’s the part of the brain for our thinking, language, awareness and cognition.
That’s where we balance pros and cons, input and output etc. – our rational mind.
Problem is that the neocortex is NOT responsible for decision making. That’s the job of the “lymbic brain”. It’s our emotions, desires and needs. Or in other words: Our beliefs. And it’s the approving authority which controls our decisions. Therefore it has no access to language. That’s why we use terms like “I have the feeling…” or “My gut tells me…” “My heart says..:”
NOW, the WHY isn’t about rationality, it’s about our dreams, our beliefs, the thing that drives us. It’s very emotional in the core. That means, that when we focus on and communicate our WHY, we speak directly to the limbic part of the brain. And if there is someone or something in the audience that believes what we believe, shares the same vision or longing, (s)he will join in. This is they key of inspiration!
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman
Lets come alive!