Begin With the End in Mind

A good start is absolutely critical for success in life. Sometimes when you start, challenges come that slow you down. You must be prepared to begin again. Keeping the end in focus will make it much easier to begin again should you experience setbacks.

Would you hop in your car and start driving without having some idea of where you were going? Of course not. You would know your destiny and make plans to arrive expediently. Should you hit traffic along the way, depending on how excited you are about your destiny, you would not get off the highway and turn around and head back home. Even if you make some detours due to the traffic, you remain focused on reaching your destiny.

Combine your passion to reach your goal with a plan of action. Being passionate about success is not enough. You must plan to obtain your goal. Don't discard your plan when setbacks happen, plan for setbacks to happen that you will discard. The setbacks are irrelevant to your goal, they only apply to adjustments that need to be made in your plan. See that and you will keep your eye on the prize.

Here are three key reasons why it's so critical to start with the end in view.

1. It gets you started right.
You may have heard the phrase, "All's well that ends well." I'd like to offer a variation on that theme: All's well that begins well. How do you begin well? By first determining where you want to go. If you're not sure where you want to go in life, start by identifying your passions and your gifts. Next, find someone who has been successful in areas that interest you. Watch how they do life. Listen to them. Absorb all you can from them. Then use what you've learned to pinpoint your destination or goal.

2. It keeps you going right.
When you start with the end in view, you don't waste your energy shooting at unnecessary targets. Because you have a clear picture of where you're going, you can focus more of your energy, time and resources on getting there. Watching your desired "end" get closer also can motivate you to keep going—and we all need that type of encouragement as the excitement of starting turns into the sometimes-exhausting business of daily life and work.

3. It gets you where you need to go.
What gets measured, gets done. Abraham Lincoln said, "I will get ready and perhaps my chance will come." Soren Kierkegaard stated, "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards." Legendary basketball coach John Wooden asserted, "It's too late to prepare when opportunity comes."
These three leaders understood the value of getting ready for today with an eye fixed firmly on the future. So take it from a great U.S. President, a Danish philosopher and a legendary basketball coach: If you want to increase your chances of success, start with the end in view.