At the 2019 Synapse Summit event, successful entrepreneurs were asked by session panel moderators to share one key tip that helped them succeed.

Asking the "Why" question was cited several times. So, what's the Why question?

For entrepreneurs engaged in a start-up, the Why question is Why am I pursuing this business enterprise?

For entrepreneurs, you might think the answer is easy and obvious: "To make a ton of money". In many instances, you'd be dead wrong, as money is what usually drives investors and not the entrepreneurs they invest in.

One Entrepreneur recalled the day he went to pickup his child at the end of the school day. After sitting in a long line of cars that snaked slowly through the neighborhood, he arrived at the front of the elementary school. 

A teacher assigned to end-of-school day dismissal duty opened the rear door of his car, placing a visibly anxious childin his rear car seat, and then closed the door.

To paraphrase his reaction: "So I'm an Indian guy.. I'm looking in my rearview mirror at this white kid in my child's car seat. I suddenly realized that my child is missing, and the child in the back of my car is now unaccounted for."

Born was the idea for a successful startup company that ensures children are matched with their parents and guardians at the end of the school day. For this entrepreneur, his Why question was ensuring the safety of his child at the end of the school day, when a child's safety is at risk.

So what does this story have to do with you finding your next employment opportunity? Here's your "Why" question, job seeker:

Why are you pursuing the job opportunity that you are seeking?

To make money, pay the bills and maybe have some free time over the weekend to pursue some fun events, of course.

If you're like most Americans (80-90 percent, depending on what report you read), you hated the job that you were fired from, laid-off from, or basically quit. If you didn't hate your previous job, you likely dreaded getting up for work on Monday and celebrated Friday's arrival (TGIF), with a weekend break from the day-to-day drudgery. 

In the course of a successful entrepreneur's daily struggle to keep their dream and startup company alive, they can lose sight of their real Why question. They may start to believe that their company is all about making money and meeting their payroll and accounts receivables. To combat this tendency, they make it a point to check-in with theirWhy question periodically.

For job seekers, we often can lose sight of ourWhy question, which is: 

Why am I pursuing the job opportunity that I'm seeking?

You may not be passionate about the work that you do.  You should, however, find the work that you are seeking, the industry that you are choosing, and the employer that you are considering, all interesting.

Interesting, to the point that you stay current in your chosen professionto ensure your marketability. 

Interesting, in that you take the time to do your due diligence on a prospective employer, researching both the company and hiring manager that you hope will decide to hire you rather than your competition.

Interesting, enough that you look forward to springing out of bed on Monday morning to work your new job, wondering at the end of the work week why your peers are heading to the local watering hole for yet another TGIF celebration.

So, here’s your call to action: What is your answer to this Why question:

Why are you pursuing the job opportunity that you are seeking?

For extra credit, describe the job your would absolutely love to work every day.

If you choose notto respond to this challenge, ask yourself, Why?