Begin With The End In Mind

Begin With The End In Mind

I DON'T intend to be a vehicle of Stephen Covey's popular book about 7 HABITS of highly effective people BUT at least for our thread today, please allow me to pick up his HABIT #2:  Begin With The End In Mind.  IF ever you're planning to build a house, do you directly start working on the ground OR create a blueprint first?  IF you have an upcoming speech, do you go to your engagement spontaneously OR do you spend hours drafting, crafting and finalizing your speech???

IF you're contemplating for a new business startup, should it NOT require first a well thought plan of action up front OR do you immediately take the plunge and start working on the nitty-gritty of things?  Absolutely, our answer is a loud NO BUT WHAT does that mean and HOW do we go about that?  Let's NOT look very much far back.  World-class athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo, NBA's Lebron James, Argentinian Lionel Messi, even Tennis great Roger Federer, they DIDN'T reach the peak of their successes by plunging into intensive trainings right on Day-1.  Instead, they should have sat down with their trainors and mentors to identify both their strengths and weaknesses and most importantly, to reaffirm their ultimate target success to achieve💦💦💦

In brief, these success stories had to plot their roadmap from point to point, from WHERE they stood at that point in time and WHERE they intend to stand within a rigid timeline.   Unless you and I will sit down to plot our roadmap, it will be too much to pitch that we BEING WITH THE END IN MIND.  In fact, studies show that around 80% do take pains to plan but easily, 50% of them fall flat right in their face.  WHY?  Because most of them did a damn sloppy job, [wrongly] thinking that things will go on 'auto pilot', which is farthest from WHAT is reality❎❎❎

BUT WHY is it hard for some of us to start with THE END IN MIND?  Now if you're on the road to nowhere, then you DON'T have a DESTINATION.  BUT BEGINNING with an ENDING really does have its merits.  One of those being the fixed point it provides us with the work towards.  This point we can test against and check in with.  We can measure any decision against WHETHER the outcome will move us closer or further away😌😌😌

Our takeaway:  WHY does the END matter?  It can help orient our actions and efforts in the present.  An ENDING is a real destination, it's a tangible and concrete and we all know the benefits of having one.  So, WHY DON'T we begin with an END more often?  If you're NOT clear about WHAT your endpoint is, HOW can you invest your time and energy in working towards?  And if you DON'T know WHAT you want, that's NEVER going to change UNLESS you BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND???

Begin With The End in Mind

Begin With The End in Mind

Many of us really think a lot and to be frank, many of us OVERTHINK.  Even when we're about to hit the sack, you could be rolling left and right on your bed because of OVERTHINKING.  Hey, that's not really wrong per se but can we Begin With The End in Mind.  That could do wonders for us because right away, it will DECLUTTER our mind and DECONGEST our thinking.  Whatever is/are our priority right now, Begin With The End in Mind.

Why do many athletes and sportsmen excel in their respective events?  Simple.  It's because they always Begin With The End in Mind.  Rafael Nadal.  Lebron James.  Michael Phelps.  Tiger Woods.  They all plotted their 'loooong' journey by Beginning With The End in Mind.  We have seen the success stories of these sportsmen kicking off when they plotted their intensive training programs that spanned years and years.  Besides the element of time, they invested in top tier trainers and just bottomless drive to excel in their respective events.  Why did they not go OFF TRACK ?  Simple.  They did begin their respective journey with the end in mind.

Let's begin with our relationship with our partner/spouse.  If your End in Mind is to have a robust relationship that will last a lifetime, then, work things out on a consistent basis to develop, evolve and sustain the robustness of your relationship.  If you have a startup business now, be focused on your business goal as achieving that will guide your NEXT STEPS📌📌📌

Magnus Carlsen, today's #1 chess player for the past ten years, has been lording it over with the rest of the pack eating the dust with next best chess player a far second.  Yet, for the rest of the Top 20 super grandmasters, why have they been so successful?  It's because these chess grandmasters are one of the most disciplined folks ever because they always Begin With The End in Mind📗📙📘

So what's our formula so that we don't veer away from our mantra to Begin With The End in Mind.  First off, you got to have a ROADMAP no less.  That ROADMAP will take you from where you are now until you get to your destination.  And if along the way you get OFF-TRACKED, take drastic measures for you to get back ON TRACK.  Remember to Begin With The End in Mind📗📗📗