I recently heard a great story from a parent on the sidelines of a sporting event. The other parent was a trainer for a season in life and had some great hooks she shared with me. My favorite was about the unasked question.

As part of the annual holiday dinner preparation she routinely asked her husband to trim several inches off the ham. One year the husband finally asked, “Why do we do this?”

The wife gave the automatic response so many of us would – because this is how we have always done it. But now, wondering herself, she asked her mother. Her mother gave her a similar response. She did it that way because her mother had done it that way.

When the wife finally asked her grandmother why they trimmed the ham that way, the answer was different. The grandmother had her husband trim the holiday ham that way so it could fit into her oven at that time.

How many things do we do out of habit, comfort, and for no real reason?

Are you doing something for a non-existent reason? When is the last time you asked why?