7 Levels To Get To Your Why

Hi,

5 Why’s in Engineering

Since the inception of powered flight in the early 1900’s, learning from mistakes has been a revolutionary tool in understanding how to improve on ideas and evolve quickly. While investigating manufacturing issues on wing spars in 2017, I often used a Root Cause Analysis Model called the Five Why’s to understand what could have caused a particular issue on the build line.

The Five Why’s was a model developed by Toyota in the 1930’s that encouraged engineers to ask the question “Why?” multiple times to discover the root cause of the issue they were facing. Here’s and example:

Why did the machine stop?
→ Because it overloaded and the fuse blew.
Why did it overload?
→ Because the bearing wasn’t lubricated properly.
Why wasn’t it lubricated properly?
→ Because the lubrication pump wasn’t circulating oil.
Why wasn’t the pump circulating oil?
→ Because its drive shaft was worn out.
Why was the drive shaft worn out?
→ Because there wasn’t a regular maintenance schedule in place.

🧠 Root Cause Identified: Lack of regular maintenance schedule in place.

Instead of just replacing the fuse (a surface-level fix that would likely see a repeat of the issue), Toyota would fix the maintenance process, solving the deeper issue and preventing future breakdowns on not just that machine but all machines in their factory.

Each “why?” peels back a layer of symptoms to get to the root.
In manufacturing, this saves money, avoids repeat failures, and improves reliability.

Seven Levels

The Seven Levels Deep or Seven Levels of Why exercise doesn’t have a precise, formally published origin, but it became widely known through Dean Graziosi, an American entrepreneur and personal development coach.

In personal development, it uncovers emotional motivation.

This newsletter is a derivative of that model and helps us get to the reason why you want to become a self-builder.

“I want to build a home to stop wasting money on rent.”

Reasonable? Yes.
But that’s not the root.

We often live our lives based on surface goals: practical, logical, but emotionally shallow. That’s fine for choosing what brand of kettle to buy. But not for more significant goals like building your own home.

Self-build is too hard, too long, too unpredictable to be powered by watered down fuel.
You need a deeper reason. One that still matters when you’re exhausted, when plans fall through, or when others say you’re mad for trying.

This is where the Seven Levels Deep exercise comes in.

🧠 How It Works

Start with your first reason for wanting to build a home. Then ask:

“Why is that important to me?”

Do this again and again, digging deeper each time.
By the time you are around the seventh attempt, you will have usually gone from a practical answer to something that makes you pause. That tightens your throat a little. That matters.

🧪 Example:

Now that’s a Why.

🛠️ Your Turn

Grab a notebook.
Write down your reason for building.
Then ask yourself “Why is that important?”
And keep going.
No shortcuts. No judgment. Just honesty.

If you want, you can email me your final answer, or the whole list.