Begin with the End in Mind

Thoughts on 160 days of quarantine.

 

2. Begin with the End in Mind

Quick Summary:

Start with a clear destination in mind. Covey says we can use our imagination to develop a vision of what we want to become and use our conscience to decide what values will guide us.

Most of us find it rather easy to busy ourselves. We work hard to achieve victories -- promotions, higher income, more recognition. But we don't often stop to evaluate the meaning behind this busyness, behind these victories -- we don't ask ourselves if these things that we focus on so intently are what really matter to us.

Habit 2 suggests that, in everything we do, we should begin with the end in mind. Start with a clear destination. That way, we can make sure the steps we're taking are in the right direction.

“It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in an activity trap, in the busyness of life, to work harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success only to discover that it’s leaning against the wrong wall.” Stephen Covey, author  

Beginning with the end in mind is also extremely important for businesses. Being a manager is about optimizing for efficiency. But being a leader is about setting the right strategic vision for your organization in the first place, and asking, "What are we trying to accomplish?"

Before we as individuals or organizations can start setting and achieving goals, we must be able to identify our values. This process may involve some rescripting to be able to assert our own personal values.

Rescripting, Covey explains, is recognizing ineffective scripts that have been written for you, and changing those scripts by proactively writing new ones that are built of your own values.

It is also important to identify our center. Whatever is at the center of our life will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and power.

You might be a spouse-centered if your feelings of security are based on the way your spouse treats you; your direction comes from your own needs /wants and those of your spouse.

 You might be family-centered if your security is founded on family acceptance & fulfilling family expectations; your actions are limited by family models and traditions. 

 You might be money-centered if your personal worth; profit is your decision=making criteria.

 You might be work centered if you tend to define yourself by your occupational role; you make your decisions based on the needs and expectations of your work. 

You might be possessions centered if your security is based on your reputation, your social status, or the tangible things you possess; you tend to compare what you have to what others have.

You might be pleasure-centered if you make decisions based on what will give you the most pleasure; you see the world in terms of what’s in it for you. 

You might be friend-centered if your security is a function of the social mirror; you are highly dependent on the opinions of others. 

You might be enemy-centered if you make decisions based on what will thwart your enemy; you are defensive, over-reactive, and often paranoid.

You might be church-centered if your security is based on church activity and the esteem in which you are held by those in authority or influence in the Church; you find identity and security in religious and comparisons.

You might be self-centered if your security is constantly changing and shifting; you view the world by how decisions, events, or circumstances will affect you. 

Our centers affect us fundamentally -- they determine our daily decisions, actions, and motivations, as well as our interpretation of events.

However, Covey notes that none of these centers are optimal and that instead, we should strive to be principle-centered. We should identify the timeless, unchanging principles by which we must live our lives. This will give us the guidance that we need to align our behaviors with our beliefs and values.

Key Lessons:

Challenge yourself to test the principle of beginning with the end in mind by doing the following:

1. Visualize in rich detail your own funeral. Who is there? What are they saying about you? About how you lived your life? About the relationships you had? What do you want them to say? Think about how your priorities would change if you only had 30 more days to live. Start living by these priorities.

2. Break down different roles in your life -- whether professional, personal, or community -- and list three to five goals you want to achieve for each.

3. Define what scares you. Public speaking? Critical feedback after writing a book? Write down the worst-case scenario for your biggest fear, then visualize how you'll handle this situation. Write down exactly how you'll handle it.

This is why goals are important. 

Con amor,

Vero