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I asked the plumber, “So do you think it will fix itself or do you need to do something?” Stupid question. He responded, “Well, I’ve never seen anything fix itself.” “Right,” I responded quietly. Similarly, the life you want will not happen by accident. It requires your intelligence, effort, and control. I’ve found the principle begin with the end in mind to be very helpful.
I first came across the rule begin with the end in mind while in college when I read Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. I read his book twice during the summer break and then created a detailed outline. It is one of my favorites and I implement something from his book everyday.
I’ve tested this habit over the past years in school, work, personal development, and other spheres of life. The main idea is that we create all things twice. We create it first in our heads and then in reality.
Without this envisioning of the life we want and planning to get there, life will happen by accident. And a life lived by accident will rarely produce what you want—sometimes it will—but often not. Remember the plumber, “I’ve never seen anything fix itself.”
So here are a few things to consider for incorporating this habit into your routine to make sure your headed where you want to go.
Begin with the End in Mind for Each Area of Life
No one cares about you more than you so it is important that you determine how you want to live in each area of your life. Covey lists the areas as mental, physical, spiritual, and social/emotional. These can be broken down into more basic areas like: marriage, friendships, knowledge, finances, professional, hobbies, etc. Michael Hyatt proposes six life buckets in this order: God, self, family, work, church, and everything else.
If you don’t take responsibility for each area of life, then they will happen by accident. This leaves your fulfillment and happiness to chance. It fosters an imbalanced life which affects those areas you care most about. Neglecting your health can affect your mental clarity at work and your energy levels at home.
So it’s important to begin with the end in mind for each area of life.
Here are some action items:
- Jot down into categories your areas of life.
- Think about where you want to be in each area, where you are now, and the next steps or habits needed to move you closer to the end you desire.
Consider and Remember Your Why When You Begin with the End in Mind
Once you’ve clarified the outcome in a specific area of life or for a specific project, consider why you want that outcome. Does it sound compelling to you? The “why” of your goal or outcome will determine the energy you have and the effort you make in reaching that end.
Simon Sinek has helpfully clarified that it is your why which will inspire you to move forward. While his idea is more oriented toward organizational leadership, the principle is transferable toward self-leadership.
The more compelling your why and the more you remember it, the more compelling your results may be.
Tailor Your Planning Time According to the Goal
It may take you an hour or two to envision where you want to be financially in 18 months. However, it may take only 10 minutes to brainstorm your desired outcome for your hour-long meeting at work tomorrow.
If you really want to take this habit serious and put it into practice, then make sure you’ve allotted enough the time you need to achieve a clear picture of the outcome.
* * *
I practice this habit for about 10 minutes at work and 5 minutes at home each day. I start my time at work reviewing my priorities, how I want to do them, and what the end product should be. At the end of each day, I record what I’ve done and create a simple project and priority list for the next day which is what I will review as soon as I come in. I’m not perfectly consistent with this. But when I am, I do better work and it motivates me to make even more progress.
At home, I have a simple priority note pad. I limit the unchecked projects/tasks to about 5–7. I review it once in the morning before I go to work and on the weekends. When I’m lazy, my projects are vague and I haven’t clarified exactly what I want do, how I want to do it, and the outcome I want.
For bigger goals, I use time-blocks on the weekend to brainstorm, clarify the end goal, delineate a strategy, and focus on the next steps. The authors of The One Thing have great resources for reaching your goal once you’ve clarified the end.
The size and time-length of your goal determines your vision process and planning.
Simply Begin
This one is simple. Start this habit today.
Most of the time, we will not practice it perfectly. But to at least begin is better than not doing it at all. The more I’ve integrated it into my routine, the clearer direction I have for knowing which way I need to go.
What’s so helpful with this life habit is that you can determine whether you’re headed the right way or whether the project is on the right path—and then make any corrective action if you see that something is wrong. You have the ability to change. You can change according to the design you want rather than someone or something else’s pressure.
Remember the plumber’s principle: nothing fixes itself—and, by extension, a life lived on accident will not produce the life you really want. Begin with the end in mind and head the right way.
If this was helpful, you may find this article to be helpful as well.