Many years ago Stephen Covey wrote the best-selling book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” One of those habits was: “Begin with the end in mind.” In other words, define what you’re working towards before you start.
On paper, this seems to make sense. Before you get in the car, know where you are going.
But in many ways, we hop in the car and try to figure out as we’re driving where it is we are going.
- In your career, what does success look like?
- If you’re a Christ-follower, what does a mature Christ-follower look like?
- If you’re a youth pastor, what do you want a graduating senior to be like? To know?
- If you’re married, what does a healthy, fulfilling marriage look like?
- If you’re a pastor, what does a growing church look like?
Once the end is defined, the steps to get there usually fall in place. In order to get to the store, I know where I need to turn.
The other option is to get in the car and just start driving. We may or may not find the right path. We might be lost and not know it. It will take longer to get there, if we get there at all. Or even worse, we might be lost and think we are where we are supposed to be.
Spending a few minutes (or days) defining the end will not only save time in the long run, it will save you a lot of headaches and heart aches.
So, what are you working towards?