By Amar Arun Patel, MD

Most surgeons become surgeons to do surgery. Plain and simple. We would much rather be in the operating room than the office. But some of the best learning comes when we take a few more minutes to talk to our patients on those busy office days.

It was another Wednesday office day, and I was finally seeing the last patient of the morning. Within the first few minutes of the visit, this middle-aged patient seemed different. After we discussed treatment options for his thumb base arthritis, and we got to talking in the process. He told me his story of how he had left a very lucrative high-paying corporate job to follow his passion of caring for and training horses. He called this the best decision he ever made, and we talked about our purpose. As we got up to leave the room after nearly 15 minutes, he told me, “Most people don’t know why they want what they want, and that’s the real problem.” It was enlightening.

At his first post-operative visit, he gave me a copy of the book Start with WHY by Simon Sinek. This book puts perspective on purpose, leadership, and inspiration. Too often we focus on WHAT we do or HOW we do it and really don’t think of WHY. WHY makes all the difference.

Take Apple, for example. There were several different computer companies in the 1980s (Microsoft, IBM, etc.) that were looking to optimize computers. But computers were difficult to use, bulky, and mostly tailored to corporations. Apple had a plan. Their WHY was to “think different” and bring an easy-to-use product geared to the individual. And that WHY alone has led to their remarkable success not only with the MacBook but also the iPod, iPad, iPhone, iTunes, AppleTV, etc. Everything is made with the individual consumer in mind. Apple understands WHY. The Wright Brothers understood WHY when they flew the first manmade airplane as others were trying. Martin Luther King, Jr. understood WHY when he led the American Civil Rights movement against all odds. Sterling Bunnell knew his WHY when he published the first edition of Surgery of the Hand in 1944!

Start with WHY is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. It teaches effective goal-setting, purposeful action, and overall how to lead an inspired life. After reading the book, I feel like my perspective on true goals has changed. Starting with WHY can help to create a solid framework for a multitude of things (i.e. starting a new hobby, working on a home project, or running a small business).

And I would have never stumbled upon this concept unless a kind patient taught me about it at the end of his clinic visit.