Good Morning,

 

Do you know where you are going? Can you clearly visualize the end result? Will you know it when you see it?

Steven Covey, in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People spends a lot of time discussing this concept. He starts off with life itself, and works his way to specific endeavors.

Too many people start off, whether it be a business, a family, a vacation, or even life with no idea where they want to end up. They just, as the saying goes, bump along.

They start a new business with an idea and begin that journey having never thought it through. They work it one day at a time hoping people will buy their product or service, hoping they can find someone to produce their product, hoping there will be no hard times, hoping they will have the money to make it happen. Hoping, hoping, hoping. Nothing happens on hope alone. It takes planning based on that hope and then acting on that hope, regardless of the things that get in the way.

To me, begin with the end in mind means knowing clearly and specifically where you want to end up. It means developing a plan. It means looking at what can go wrong and being prepared. Most of all, it means not losing sight of the end goal and, continuing toward it regardless of the obstacles. It, many times, means taking manageable and acceptable steps toward that goal. It means persistence in times of adversity. It means, truly, beginning, knowing where you want to go, untiringly working toward it, and recognizing it when you achieve it. You will only recognize it when your know what that end will look like.

Spend a little time this week thinking about where you are going and what you really want to accomplish. Write it down so you don't forget it. Begin there, and then, step by step work your way toward it.

Jim