{"id":2920,"date":"2021-04-16T14:09:54","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T14:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/?p=2920"},"modified":"2022-02-11T12:54:41","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T12:54:41","slug":"uncovering-the-root-cause-of-your-financial-problems-with-the-5-whys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/uncovering-the-root-cause-of-your-financial-problems-with-the-5-whys\/","title":{"rendered":"Uncovering the Root Cause of Your Financial Problems with the 5 Whys"},"content":{"rendered":"

The only way you will ever permanently take control of your financial life is to dig deep and fix the root problem.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014<\/span>Suze Orman<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

You’re finally done! Your bankruptcy is discharged!<\/p>\n

Before we move forward, let\u2019s put something into perspective. Bankruptcy is basically like a bandage for your debt problems: It can help stem the bleeding and give you the time to heal. But it does little to help you figure out why you were injured in the first place. And if you don\u2019t discover the root cause for how you got into debt, it\u2019s only a matter of time before your financial problems could return, possibly worse than before. True financial recovery only happens when you find the root cause of the problem and deal with it at the source.<\/p>\n

Most of the time, our problems don\u2019t stem from just one thing, but rather a number of layered issues working in tandem. One technique I have found particularly useful in uncovering these layers is the \u201c5 Whys\u201d technique. First developed by\u00a0Taiichi Ohno<\/a>, Toyota\u2019s former Executive Vice President, this approach harkens back to the early childhood habit of repeatedly asking \u201cWhy\u201d to drill down to the real cause of nearly any problem.<\/p>\n

How It Works<\/h4>\n

The process is remarkably simple:<\/p>\n

1. Begin by writing down the problem.<\/em>\u00a0Don\u2019t skip this step; writing it down helps make the issue tangible and confronts any denial that might keep you from moving forward.
\n2. Ask \u201cwhy\u201d the problem exists.<\/em>\u00a0Write down the answer.
\n3. Ask \u201cwhy\u201d again.<\/em>\u00a0Quite frequently the first \u201cwhy\u201d won\u2019t uncover the root; it will lead to another \u201cwhy.\u201d
\n4. Repeat the \u201cwhys\u201d until the root cause(s) become evident.<\/em><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s use a very simple example to illustrate.<\/p>\n

THE PROBLEM: Your friend has a flat tire.<\/h4>\n

1. Why? He ran over a nail in the road.
\n2. Why? He had to take a route with a lot of road construction.
\n3. Why? He overslept and was running late for work.
\n4. Why? He went out drinking with buddies on a work night.
\n5. Why? He left the office angry and needed some outlet for his emotions.<\/p>\n

5 whys. Can you see how this process leads to a root cause that someone might not have identified otherwise?<\/p>\n

Also, can you see how elements all worked together to result in a flat tire? Understanding the sequence is essential. Otherwise, an earlier answer might be a distraction that prevents you from addressing the real issue. In the example, your friend might have genuinely thought he\u2019d fixed the problem by buying a more expensive, puncture-resistant tire. When the real fix is going to be back at work.<\/p>\n

The \u201c5 Whys\u201d is actually deceptively simple; it can be challenging to push yourself and reveal the deeper issues within. Given that, start using the process with smaller issues\u2014perhaps why you yourself may have been late for a meeting. But once you get the hang of it, try using this to see if it helps you understand your financial circumstances, and points you toward a new solution.<\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t adopt the \u201cwhy\u201d practice, now that you’ve gone through your bankruptcy process, work on uncovering and dealing with the issues that led to it. We are happy to help<\/a>!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The only way you will ever permanently take control of your financial life is to dig deep and fix the root problem.\u00a0\u2014Suze Orman You’re finally done! Your bankruptcy is discharged! Before we move forward, let\u2019s put something into perspective. Bankruptcy is basically like a bandage for your debt problems: It can help stem the bleeding and give you the time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[82],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2920"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3615,"href":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920\/revisions\/3615"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karinalucidlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}