Begin With The End In Mind

Well, now.  I'm way past beginning, aren't I?  In fact, I'm way closer to the end than I was when I began this blog.  So in that respect, it's a little easier to have an end in mind, especially when it's so close!  ;)

So a few weeks ago I went to a half-day seminar put on by Franklin Covey (the people who bought the publishing rights to Stephen Covey's material on The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People).  I had first picked up Covey's book nearly 25 years ago and it had a profound influence on my life.  To some degree it still does.  The seminar people touted a new edition of the 7 Habits and I wanted to see if they had altered the material at all.

Nope.  Timeless stuff, this.

So I took it back to my place of business and promptly put on a "lunch & learn" session on it for my department co-workers.  Had good attendance, too: 18 of 24 showed up for it.  As I was walking through the highlights, I recalled having written up a personal mission statement based on the notion of how I wanted to be remembered when I was at the end of my earthly life.  I still have it somewhere.  Maybe.  Regardless if I could ever find it or not, I pretty much remember it after all this time.

But more to the point, my view of my desired end has changed very little in 25 years.  It's a testament to the process (described below), I think, plus the timing of when I wrote it up, which was around age 35. At that point in one's life, you've lived long enough to have experienced satisfaction and disappointment in probably equal measure, and have come to terms with your weaknesses and your strengths.  You can tell by then what gives you satisfaction, and what might be rewarding to others but not very much to you.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
In Habit 2, participants are asked to write a Personal Mission Statement. However, many people find this to be a challenging exercise. In The 7 Habits 4.0, people are asked to answer the questions on self-awareness, imagination, and conscience before creating their mission statement. The answers help people detect their mission statements.

“We detect rather than invent our missions in life.”  – Victor Frankl

Below are the questions around self-awareness. Take some time this week to answer them (preferably in writing) and see if your activities align with your personal talents & values.

Detecting Your Mission Statement

·        I am at my best when:

·        I am at my worst when:

·        What do I really love to do at work?

·        What do I really love to do in my personal time?

·        My natural talents and gifts are:

So I thought to myself, why not restate what I already know is still true, but this time in electronic form on a website so that I can find it again then next time I pack things in boxes to move.  To that end, here it is:

Personal Mission Statement

My aim in life is largely twofold: 

> to have a positive influence on the people I encounter, so that they are better off for having known me

> to enjoy and fully appreciate the world around me, whether by analyzing it or experiencing it

For the first, I want to leave people better than I found them, in whatever measure that is possible.  I want people I've encountered to remember me with gladness and not regret, with thankfulness and not criticism, wishing for still more of me and not yet having had their fill of me.  I would like people to be able to say that I was influential in their lives - an influence for good.  And I want my motives in this to always be pure; not so that I can feel better about myself, but so that those I meet can benefit from whatever I have to give.  I want to have given cheerfully, willingly, and generously to those in need.

For the second, I want to have had a rich experience of the world before I leave it behind, one that was full of wonder, awe, joy and amazement at its complexity, order, coherence and beauty.  I want to have had more opportunities than I can count to have lingered on that which is beautiful in this life, whether that be nature, art, people or the cosmos.  I want to have equal appreciation for the way things work, as well as the way things look, for the scientific as well as the beatific.  I would like to have all my five senses in play as often as is humanly possible, along with my sixth sense as well, so that the metaphysical and the physical are in good balance.  

Finally, I want to be in good standing with my Creator, as I interact positively and appreciatively with what He has made, and with all those things and people He loves as much as He does me.  I'd like to effectively communicate to those around me, my extended family, my co-workers, my students, my church community, my neighbors and all whom I encounter: that I have confidence in God's existence, His benevolence, His love for His creation & creatures, and His intense desire for relationship with people.

If I can finish my life being able to say with surety that these things have been true of me, I will have indeed fulfilled my mission.