Why are you doing what you're doing?

If you find yourself doing something and you don’t yet know the answer to that question, maybe it’s about time you asked.

Why? Why am I doing this (or not doing this?) Why do I believe what I believe?

And then ask again. And again. And again.

Until you uncover a (first) principle. A fundamental truth. The foundation for a worldview or a brand of knowledge or a chain of reasoning or a mode of behavior.

Past your cultural biases, your assumptions or your unconscious predispositions. Beyond analogy or deduction or doubt.

If you indubitably know why you’re doing what you're doing, it’s a lot easier to realize what you should be doing next, and why.