So, what do you want to be when you grow up? That question may appear a little trite, but just think about it for a moment. Are you - right now - who you want to be, what you dreamed you'd be, doing what you always wanted to do? Be honest.It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in the activity trap, in the “busyness” of life, to work harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success, only to discover, upon reaching the top rung, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. Sometimes people find themselves achieving victories that are empty-successes that have come at the expense of things that were far more valuable to them. If your ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step you take gets you to the wrong place faster. How depressing is that?
Habit 2/7 – BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND - is based on imagination - the ability to envision, see the potential, create with your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes and conscience. It is based on the principle that all things are created twice. First, there is a mental creation, and second, a physical creation. The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint. If you don't make a conscious effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It's about connecting again with your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill it.
To Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.
One of the best ways to incorporate this habit into your life if to develop a Personal Mission Statement. It focuses on what you want to be and do. It is your plan for success. It reaffirms who you are, puts your goals in focus, and moves your ideas into the real world. Your mission statement makes you the leader of your own life. You create your own destiny and secure the future you envision.
CHECKING YOUR VISION
It’s time for a per
sonal vision checkup. Take a minute and think about each question below. Write out your thoughts clearly in a separate piece of paper.1. What am I doing right now with my life? Does it make me happy? Do I feel fulfilled?
2. What do I keep gravitating toward? Is it different from what I am currently doing?
3. What did I like to do as a child? Do those things still bring me satisfaction? Am I doing any of them?
4. What interests me most right now?
5. What fills my soul?
6. What can I do well? What are my unique traits and strengths?
A sample Mission Statement is given below: Use it as a point of reference for creating your own:
Be humble, considerate, honest, kind, loving, and most importantly forgiving, but wise.
Give unselfishly to the needy, but try to provide tools for success as well: i.e., offer a job and a handout.
Keep my word.
Find weaknesses in myself and situations and choose to improve them.
Other important values I must never forget: Learning, gaining knowledge and nurturing friendships.
Work and play where my integrity cannot be compromised.
Refrain from building walls - allow pessimism, criticism to come in, but I will choose to learn from them, not react or hide from them
Refrain from competing, but add to other's success.
Remember and thank those who have helped me. Return their kindness to others that need it.
Allow my values to guide me, not jealously or other peoples' values, competition or wealth.
Look at both sides of an issue before making a decision. Realize that each decision is an independent decision, not necessarily directly related to past or future decisions, and take the time to gather insight to make informed decisions.
Take time every day for reflection, to realize what I learned, what I should learn more about to say thank you, to give myself a pat on the back while looking into what I need to improve upon.
"Real success is success with self; it's not having things, but in having mastery, having victory over oneself"!
Give unselfishly to the needy, but try to provide tools for success as well: i.e., offer a job and a handout.
Keep my word.
Find weaknesses in myself and situations and choose to improve them.
Other important values I must never forget: Learning, gaining knowledge and nurturing friendships.
Work and play where my integrity cannot be compromised.
Refrain from building walls - allow pessimism, criticism to come in, but I will choose to learn from them, not react or hide from them
Refrain from competing, but add to other's success.
Remember and thank those who have helped me. Return their kindness to others that need it.
Allow my values to guide me, not jealously or other peoples' values, competition or wealth.
Look at both sides of an issue before making a decision. Realize that each decision is an independent decision, not necessarily directly related to past or future decisions, and take the time to gather insight to make informed decisions.
Take time every day for reflection, to realize what I learned, what I should learn more about to say thank you, to give myself a pat on the back while looking into what I need to improve upon.
"Real success is success with self; it's not having things, but in having mastery, having victory over oneself"!
[This article is excerpted from Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People]
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