Why Am I Here(hi(ə)r)?

Why Am I Here(hi(ə)r)?

By Derek Sivers

Looking around the room.

“Why am I here?”

It’s a useful(ˈyo͞osfəl) question to ask often(ˈäf-,ˈôf(t)ən).

Either(ˈēT͟Hər,ˈīT͟Hər) it will re-focus(ˈfōkəs) your reasons(ˈrēzən) for being where you are, or it will make you realize(ˈrē(ə)ˌlīz) your reasons(ˈrēzən) have expired(ikˈspīr) and you should be somewhere else.

In a little apartment(əˈpärtmənt) in Singapore(ˈsiNGəˌpôr), I ask it again.

“Why am I here?”

Because(-ˈkəz,biˈkôz) of the brilliant(ˈbrilyənt) and fascinating(ˈfasəˌnātiNG) people here.

(But I’m refusing all requests(riˈkwest) to meet, to stay(stā) focused on my work. For the past 3 years I was very social(ˈsōSHəl), but now I’m not.)

Because I love learning about Asia(ˈāZHə), and Singapore is a great central(ˈsentrəl) home base for that.

(But I’m not exploring Asia right now. For the past 3 years I was, but now I’m inwardly-focused(ˈinwərdlē) on my writing and programming.)

Because I love and admire(ədˈmī(ə)r) it, and it feels(fēl) like home.

(But I’ve loved everywhere I’ve lived(liv,līv), from California(-nēə,ˌkaləˈfôrnyə) to New York to London(ˈləndən) to Portland(ˈpôrtlənd). They’ve all felt(felt) like home. Future places(plās) will feel like home, too.)

Because I’m here right now.

(But there are airplanes(ˈe(ə)rˌplān). You can sit in them.)

Most of us are where we are because of decisions(diˈsiZHən) we made years ago. But are those reasons still current(ˈkə-rənt,ˈkərənt) for what we need now? Ask again.

“Why am I here?”

Damn. I ran out of reasons. I should be somewhere(ˈsəmˌ(h)we(ə)r) else.

I want silence(ˈsīləns), solitude(ˈsäləˌt(y)o͞od), and wide(wīd) open spaces(spās).

I want to work all day while((h)wīl) listening to nothing but birds(bərd) and wind(wīnd) in the trees.

I want an intentional(inˈtenCHənl) lack(lak) of distractions(disˈtrakSHən), far far away, to cure(kyo͝or) my tendency(ˈtendənsē) to say(sā) yes to intellectually(ˈˌɪn(t)əlˈˌɛk(t)ʃ(əw)əli) stimulating(ˈstimyəˌlātiNG) events.

So the answer was clear(kli(ə)r).

I moved(mo͞ov) to New Zealand’s(ˈzēlənd) South Island(ˈīlənd).

Here I am.

“Why am I here?”

To work. To focus. To write. To code. To launch(länCH,lônCH).

Yes. Good answer.