The second habit that Steven Covey discusses in his book is Begin With The End In Mind. He refers to this as the habit of personal leadership. When we Begin With The End In Mind, we give ourselves a personal direction to guide our daily activities. Without it, it becomes difficult to accomplish our goals. Beginning with the end in mind is part of the process of personal leadership and allows us to take control of our lives. The most effective people shape their own futures. They don’t let other people or circumstances determine their results. They plan who they want to be (character), what they want to do (contributions & achievements), the values and principles they will live by, and then they let their plan guide their decisions. This plan in written form is also known as a personal mission statement. Do you have a personal mission statement?
Covey says all things are created twice. First, we create them in our minds, then we bring them into physical existence. First, we get clear on what we want, then we write and rewrite our own scripts, giving us control and responsibility for the outcome. If you were building a house, would you start without blueprints and plans? Of course not. So why would we do that with our lives. Many people spend more time planning their vacations than they do planning their lives.
Covey says that many people climb the ladder of success only to find the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall. He writes, “We may be very busy, we may be very efficient, but we will also be truly effective only when we Begin With The End In Mind.”
To succeed, Covey suggests visualization. He points out many peak, athletic performers are visualizers. Covey writes: “You can do it [visualization] in any area of your life. Before a performance, a sales presentation, a difficult confrontation, or the daily challenge of meeting a goal, see it clearly, vividly, relentlessly, over and over again. Create an internal “comfort zone.” Then, when you get into the situation, it isn’t foreign. It doesn’t scare you.”
Affirmations are another way to assist you in keeping your actions congruent with your mission statement. Affirmations should be positive, personal, present tense, visual, and emotional. Examples of affirmations I use are I feel happy, healthy and terrific, Excellent passive income opportunities come my way, I appreciate all the free time and money I have. I create my life, I create the exact amount of my financial success. All of these are examples of positive affirmations. These along with visualization are just self programming techniques that should be used in harmony with correct principles that align with our personal mission statement.
Effective people embrace the habit to Begin With The End In Mind. They focus on personal leadership and control their own lives. They have a personal mission statement that guides their actions and their lives. Effective people practice visualization and affirmation techniques and follow their plan on the road to success. To be effective, Begin With The End In Mind.
Have an awesome day.
