Summary:
If you have trouble making decisions for yourself or your company, this article can help you. The celery test is a simple test to determine if what you do (or want to do) is in line with what you believe.

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What are you doing now? Of course, you read this article (thank you). But what do you do afterward? Are you going back to work? Do you call your customer or supplier? Do you make calculations and write a report?

WHAT do you do?

Consider what you do. I write articles, meet a lot of people online or by phone. I read a lot, coach, train, and follow online courses. Also, I am there for my family. I do the groceries, the laundry, and I cook often.

Have things changed in your daily activities recently? Of course, the way of working has changed to a digital environment, but that is a change in the way HOW you work.

Since the roof came down at our place, I have been working more on the house. I learn to do construction work and to manage the workers. That is new, and it does not always go well.

Take a moment to find which new activities have entered your life. The question is whether those (new) activities fit in your life purpose, your passion, your WHY, or what you believe.

Next, you will undoubtedly also have many friends, relatives, or colleagues who advise you. “Freek, take this course,” “buy [company X] shares,” “Develop an online training,” “change your website,” “Make more acquisitions,” “Eat goose carpaccio (because I don’t eat meat, but I do eat game), “Drink coconut water,” “take more vitamin D” are advises that I’ve been getting lately.

The celery test

What should I do? What advice should I follow? The celery test can help you make good decisions, especially during decision stress and when you are overwhelmed with new options that you have to choose from now. It can also help you find out if the things you are doing now are the right ones.

The celery test is described in the book “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek. Imagine that all those choices you have or the things you do are in a shopping cart. You have just heard that there is a new flavor of your favorite ice cream brand in the supermarket, the potato chips from another brand also seem to be much better. Your shopping cart now has ice cream, chips, and delicious cheese (because it was on sale). Now it is the case that you pursue a healthy lifestyle and do a lot for a strong body.
The question then is whether other people can see that you think health is important when they see the contents of your shopping cart. Is there Celery in your shopping cart?

If so, good for you.

If not, you may not be as true to your values, your goals, and to what is important to you in life.

The celery test can help you be authentic. It is a brief reflection on what you are doing and what you might do better to do those things that give you more satisfaction, joy, or confidence.

My WHY is:

To serve and facilitate so that we can uplift ourselves and that we all experience more joy.

The question that has been on my mind lately was whether working on the house contributes to my WHY. I am not very good at it at all, and I still have a lot to learn. Then, I realized that it is a form of service and that I (and my family) can experience more joy when we live in a larger and more comfortable home. Since then, I have been working on our house with much more enthusiasm, pleasure (and success).

Business decisions

The celery test can also help with business decisions or innovation within your company. It helps with both short-term and long-term decisions. Rather than offering all kinds of new services or products, the celery test can help you stay true to where a company wants to go and what contribution it wants to make to have a certain impact on the world. Customers and employees feel this and are more likely to remain loyal to the company and the products they sell.

An example of this is the Disney company. Their goal is to make entertainment for the family. As a parent, you rarely have to worry about whether your kids can see Disney’s movies or buy the company’s items. Over the past 90 years, the company has shown that they are disciplined and consistent in this and that you can trust that things are well for your family. Everything they make passes the celery test to check if it’s family-friendly.

Benefits of the celery test

• It is easier to make choices in the grocery store (that also saves time)
• By your choices and actions, you show what you believe in (that will attract and bind others)
• You do the right things that are also more sustainable and more valuable.

Your WHY

The Celery is a filter to make the right choice that supports your WHY. I can help you discover your WHY. For yourself or your company. Take action and contact me today for a free intake or to get started right away.

Do you want to know more about finding your Why? Read this article on how to find your Why for yourself or that one of your company.

How do you make sure that you do those things in line with what you believe? How do you make sure that there is Celery in your shopping cart? Let me know in the comment field below. The other readers of this article and I are looking forward to reading from you!

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Have you seen an error in this article? Let me know! I am grateful!

Source: Start with WHY, Simon Sinek

Freek Zilvold