In a few years, where would you wish to be? You’ve undoubtedly seen or heard this question a million times, but you’ve never taken it seriously because you don’t believe that thinking about “it” will get you closer to “it.” Or maybe you just don’t want to face the truth, Are you the person you’ve always wanted to be? Are you doing something that you’ve always wanted to do? If you don’t have a destination, you’re on a road to nowhere. Isn’t it just stating the obvious? But, if it’s so simple, why do so many of us struggle to choose our destination, a crucial step in every task? We can point ourselves in a specific direction, but without a clear destination in sight, the path to our goal becomes much more difficult. Many people spend their life working hard on things that aren’t really essential to them, earning achievement at the price of things that are far more essential to them. Every step we take will lead us to the incorrect spot faster if we don’t have the appropriate vision.
One of Stephen Covey’s popular bestseller’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is to start with the end in mind. Covey advises in his book that we system our own lives and that in order to be successful at anything, we must “begin with the end in mind.” At its most basic level, it entails using the image of your death as a frame of reference for evaluating everything else. It’s all about starting with a clear picture of where we want to go so that our steps are always in the proper direction. It is founded on the premise that everything is generated twice, once in our minds and then again in our physical reality. According to research on our Reticular Activation System, envisioning our objective and being completely aware activates all of our energy as well as all of the essential abilities to achieve it efficiently. To make your deepest desires a reality, you first need to see and understand what those desires are. So, to begin with, the end in mind is to visualize your life, career, or a specific thing the way that you want it to end up being before you actually begin pursuing it. When you make this conscious effort, you take much greater control over your life and circumstances. There are three primary reasons, why this “start with the end in mind” mentality is so vital. Clarity, efficiency, and purpose are three of them.
- Clarity – You’ll get incredible clarity in many areas of your life once you understand where you want to end up. For example, if you recognise that your ultimate job objective is to become an entrepreneur and run your own company, the steps to getting there become obvious. You must first develop a feasible business concept. Then you must develop your product, attract clients, hire employees, secure investors, and so on. Obviously, the steps you follow will be specific to your goals, but the fundamentals of running a business remain the same. You’ll obtain clarity on what not to do and pursue if you start with the end in mind.
- Efficiency – When you start with the end in mind, you obtain clarity, which helps you become more efficient automatically. You’ll be able to plan and strategize the most efficient path to your objectives. Let’s imagine you aim to advance to project manager during the next two years at your organisation. That is your objective. You can now devise the most effective strategy for achieving it. Instead of chasing erroneous goals, you’ll concentrate solely on the procedures required to become a project leader.
- Purpose – Finally, you obtain purpose when you start with the end in mind. You’ll be pursuing goals that are relevant to you, establishing a profession you’ll be proud of, and enjoying the life you desire. Many people experience a lack of fulfilment as a result of pursuing other people’s ambitions without realising it. The trick is to concentrate on what you truly desire and work hard to attain it. This is how you find meaning and fulfilment. When you start with the end in mind, you’re more likely to succeed. There is no better approach to figure out what you really want, why it’s essential to you, and how to acquire it than to write it down.
Beginning with a solution has certain advantages. One of them is the fixed point it presents us with as a goal to strive for. This is something we can check in on and test against. We may assess any decision by determining if the result will bring us closer or further away. The conclusion can assist us in focusing our actions and efforts in the present. An endpoint is a genuine destination, it’s observable and palpable, and we’re all aware of the advantages of having one. So, why don’t we start with the end in mind more often? What’s so difficult about that?
Here are a few possibilities to think about
- For each ending we choose, we reject a plethora of other possibilities – Some people may be debilitated by this concept, leading them to never choose a precise goal to work toward. People who struggle with this reality may also find it difficult to make more broad, everyday decisions for the same reason.
- The tension between dedication and flexibility – Fixing a goal and working toward it can feel like a suffocating and obnoxious act. It puts pressure on you in certain aspects because it doesn’t allow for much freedom. You may be split between the two, and the fact is that it’s sometimes more appealing to believe we can accomplish and be anything. However, while flexibility and freedom seem better in the short term, we don’t set any definite goals when we live this way. However, in the long run, it may not always work out, as you may end up accomplishing very little or going in circles.
- You have no idea what the endpoint is – The aim you’re attempting to achieve or the destination you’re attempting to reach is murky. It lacks a shape in which you can devote all of your time and energy to achieving. You’re not sure why you’re going where you’re going. If you don’t know what you want, you will never have it.
- Conscience – Some of us live in a world where perfection is the only way to succeed. It’s difficult to start with an end in mind since we’ll feel like we’ve failed if we don’t get there. You won’t have any excuses if you set a goal before you start since you’ll know exactly what you’re aiming for. However, if you never made a firm decision about where you wanted to go, you can’t blame yourself for not getting there. Instead, chalk it up to keeping your choices open and never having to cope with the pain of failure.
Sometimes you find trouble starting with an end, whether at business or in your personal life, there’s probably a legitimate reason why you’re having trouble starting with an end. Always try to take advantage of the opportunity to discover more about yourself and why? Is it for any or all of the aforementioned reasons? Or is it for another reason entirely? You can make intentional choices and move on once you’ve figured out why you can’t begin with an end. Maybe you’ll find the confidence and clarity to set a goal and declare your goals to yourself and the rest of the world. It’s up to you whether you get there or not, but at the very least you’ll know which way you’re going and where you’re attempting to go.
The word “end” conjures up images of something restricted, prescriptive, and exact. This is sometimes required for man-made undertakings. However, it may restrict alternatives and close doors to chances. It has the potential to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We can miss out on the pleasure of the journey. We may quit up before or after the initial excitement of the finish line. We don’t think about dying when we’re young. There are usually more possibilities if you think about the why and then think about it again. Consider why you want to achieve this goal. The justifications are more open and less restrictive. Having enough to consume, a place to live, social contact, creating together, and finding something to give purpose to life are some of the reasons. Staying alive is your most basic goal. Goals aren’t the end of the road. They are accomplishments, reasons to rejoice. Often, the objective is just the start. We may need to adjust or relocate the goalposts from time to time. When you start with the end in mind, you realize that everything is a never-ending cycle, that one end is only another beginning, and that the most significant finish may not be as essential as one that occurs earlier or later. The concept of inevitable endings ends that must be avoided, ends that are only feasible if actively constructed, and ends that can never exist must accompany such notions.
Also read: Curiosity: The Key to Creativity
