Begin With The End In Mind - Habit #2 of Highly Effective People

Begin With The End in Mind - Habit #2

As a continuation of my Summer Series on effectiveness, today we are covering Habit #2 from Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Begin With The End In Mind.  "To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination.  It means to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction."  So let's begin.....

Defining Your Success

We all know how easy it is to get caught in the busyness of life, to work harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success only to discover it's leaning against the wrong wall.  

It is possible to be busy - very busy - without being very effective.  

In order to avoid a life of unfulfilling achievements, only to find that your drive to achieve those goals blinded you to the things that really matter most, you must Begin With The End in Mind.

Stephen Covey leads this chapter with an exercise that I want you to do now.  

Picture yourself driving to the funeral/memorial of a loved one.  When you arrive, you realize YOU are the one in the casket.  It is YOUR funeral.  Many have come to honor you.  You look at the program in your hand and realize there will be four speakers. 

The first is from your family, immediate and also extended - children, siblings, parents, cousins, aunt and uncles, grandparents - who have come from all over the country to attend.

The second speaker is one of your friends, someone who can give a sense of what you were as a person.

The third speaker is from your work or profession.

And the fourth speaker is from your community - whether that be geographical community, community of faith, volunteer organization, an online community, hobby, sport, etc.

Now think deeply - what would you like each of these speakers to say about you and your life?  What kind of partner, parent, or cousin would you like their words to reflect?  What kind of friend?  What kind of leader or colleague?

What character would you like them to have seen in you?  What contributions or achievements would you want them to remember?  Look carefully at the people around you.  What difference would you like to have made in their lives?  

If you do this exercise in earnest, you will find your definition of success.  And it may be very different from the definition you thought you had in mind.  That's ok - that is the point!

It can be really disturbing to realize that the things you are doing right now don't support the life you envision, especially when you look at it through the lens of your own death.  We put so much time, effort, and energy into our identities and careers, the last thing we want is to realize it may have all been in vain.

It wasn't all in vain!  Whatever path you have taken so far, it has led you to this moment.  Use all of your skills, experiences, relationships, and knowledge to shift towards the impact you want to make in this world.  

When I realized that I didn't want to do accounting anymore, after being a CPA and high up the chain in my corporate career for over 16 years - I was scared, felt like a failure, and was embarrassed to tell people.

How could I - a CPA - not want to do accounting anymore?  And who the hell did I think I was to not only quit accounting, but take on an entirely new and different career coaching??

But I had done the "Begin With The End In Mind" exercise and recognized that the things that drove me early on in my career - title, status, financial security - weren't bringing me closer to the happy, helpful, active, outdoorsy person I imagined myself being upon my death.

(BTW - You can be all of those things as an accountant, but I couldn't because it didn't bring me joy and brought me only stress).

So at 38 years old I made the switch.  At first it felt like falling off a cliff.  But then I realized that all of the relationships I built, the corporate knowledge I attained, the leadership skills I honed, and the financial expertise I grew would help me build the successful coaching business I have today.

And most importantly, I built this business with the end in mind the entire time.  I built in flexibility, I work only with clients that I find fulfilling, I spend more time outdoors and being active, I leverage my corporate relationships to bring support to others, and I give back to those that helped me during/after my accounting career.  

Regardless of what you realize from this exercise, it is NEVER too late to make a change.

That change can be within your career, your family structure, your relationships, the way you handle your finances, the way you raise your kids, or the organizations that you want to be a part of. 

The world needs more aligned, EFFECTIVE, joyous people.  Begin with the end in mind, keep that end in focus, and do the things that support your vision.

Cheers to climbing the ladder leaning against the RIGHT wall,
Sharon

Stick with me for this series until we cover all 7 habits!
If you missed Habit #1 - Be Proactive - you can read it HERE.

**Note - much of this text is directly from Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  I've added context where I saw fit and condensed in other sections.  His publisher's website is worth a read for more reference and if you can find the time, read the book.  Website HERE.**

Support to Define Your Success

Helping others define their success is where I start with each and every client. It can be hard to hone in on everything you want, even after doing the Begin With The End In Mind exercise. And knowing that most people won't set aside the time to do it for themselves, I offer a Life Vision Intensive meant to do just that. Click HERE to schedule a free strategy session to further discuss how this can help you.

Together we will gain clarity on what you really want in this life (personally and professionally), uncover your core values, define the impact you want to make, and understand the people and places where you want to spend your time.

A Life Vision Intensive is a 2-hour coaching session where we dive into what energizes you, brings you joy, and makes you feel fulfilled. I provide you a written summary of your Life Vision and your core values, and we discuss how to use it as a tool going forward.

I've helped so many clients define their success and make changes towards a more fulfilling life. You don't have to stay stuck. I can help you too.