The End In Mind
This is a contribution from Christopher David Joslyn
Imagine at your funeral what would be said about your contribution to the world. Perhaps morbid, but certainly thought-provoking when considering life paths.
Steven Covey popularized this mindset and advanced life management techniques based on it. It is in fact an effective practice for goal attainment. By assigning the “End” as the appropriate time to contemplate, we set ourselves on a thought path toward a goal. We prioritize that goal in our mind creating a conscious and subconscious bias toward the fulfillment of the objective.
This is success-minded thinking. When examining the method, it’s important to center on two items.
The “End” or goal
The Timeline for Achievement
The first is unmovable once established. The second is malleable and dependent upon elements that change as progress is made or circumstances change.
I visualize the pursuit and achievement of a goal as a Goal Ladder. Let’s call it the JSL (Joslyn Success Ladder).
Remember, we start from the endpoint, the Goal or Objective. We construct the ladder itself from a constant focus on this “End” and build it from thought to paper. In this way, we understand what the outcome should feel like at every rung along the way - which contributes to our ability to make overwhelming objectives attainable in a piecemeal fashion.
At this point, the goal is to use the constructed JSL to bring your Goals and Objectives to life, launching in real-time and using the template established to develop – sequentially - each section of the ladder toward completion.
I intentionally pause on the “Halfway Home” rung both during the JSL creation process and active implementation. This allows for a view of the work completed, and the horizon ahead. It’s an opportunity to engage in any re-calibration or course correction needed, as the “End” should be within sight.
From there it is a matter of focusing on completing the remaining rungs, one by one while gauging the sturdiness of each by how securely it moves you toward your focused end goal.
Each rung is important. The attainment of your objectives depends upon their strength. Large things can be accomplished if simplified and portioned into smaller subset rungs. By starting with the “End in Mind”, focusing on that, and working the plan backward in time, you will find yourself managing expectations and moving ever closer to the place you want to be.
Just make sure your ladder is leaning against the right wall.