I'm going start this one out with a video. Watch about the first 5-6 minutes (or more if you want to watch the whole talk). I discovered this video at my previous job, but it was brought up again at my current job in a huge staff meeting. It's been a while since I've really watched the video, so I apologize if I repeat anything. If you don't watch it, this hopefully still makes sense. 

It got me thinking about things. The idea behind "starting with the why" is that people connect with why people or companies do what they do. It's an incredibly human concept.

"Why?"

It's amazing the power of that question. Why is the meatiest of the 3 big questions: what, how, why. You can give people easily what the whats and hows are. The whys imply a decent level of understanding. That is the point in your pitch when you will win or lose.

"Why do you have an edge? Why do you care? Why do people need this?" The why can make you special and stand out from the crowd. 

There's a reason why toddlers and children are always asking "Why?" as well. They are curious little people that want to better understand their world. Does it get annoying? Hell yes, it does, but can you blame them really?

Another example, look at a favorite game, movie, or book. What makes the characters great? Why are they memorable? I bet some of the best ones, if not all, are characters with a great backstory, or a backstory you created yourself. It tells the player why the hero does what they do, why the villain is a villain, why the quest is important. That why is how you are able to connect with characters on a human level.

Here's my own personal application of this concept. I'm going to talk about myself as a developer. Creation and design take imagination and creativity. I believe that these concepts are what has made humanity great. People are looking for better and new experiences all the time. By creating functional, useful, and fun pieces from within the depths of my own mind, I can give people a unique experience within their everyday lives, or at the very least make them easier. I just choose to do this by creating software and video games.

Is that perfect? Probably not. It's not as easy as you would think. At least, I don't think that it was. So what I challenge you to do is to try this out for yourself. Look to the "Why". See how well you understand yourself. I think that being able to think this way comes from the full understanding of who you are. That is no easy task.