Begin with the End in Mind: Got to Say It Again

Stephen Covey has divided up the tasks of life into Seven Habits.

Covey's foundational habit, however is to "Begin with the End in Mind."

Covey states, not illogically, that before we begin anything, and this includes the rest of our lives(!), then we need to ponder, to examine, what it is we are aiming at. In other words, where are we pointed: we need to "begin with the end in mind."

Covey points out that this applies on two levels: for each of the domains of life, what ends to we want to achieve, but also, when examining all of our goals, how can we put these in a hierarchy; how can we put them on a scale.

For example, for me personally, having children is not high on the list. In fact, it comes under the "maybe" heading. Frankly this goes also for having a relationship (or at least a life-long relationship). Similarly, I am not looking for a better job, because I have employment I enjoy. Nor is home ownership particularly important to me.

On the other side of things, I belong to a family that is not particularly taxing, by which I mean, there are few if any complicated games going on between participants, few complex political ballet dances... Equally, no-one in my family is sick, or needs help in any dire sense, and all are thriving more-or-less.

The details of my life dictate, then, to a great degree, where my priorities lie. In my case, I have very few pressing "needs."

This, then, leaves me with a large amount of room for pursuing my desires. Now Covey also emphasizes the needs of conscience, by which I mean our obligation, morally, to help others, and to seek to alleviate suffering.

But here is a question I would ask:

- IS there a conflict between seeking to alleviate suffering in the world, and seeking to fulful desires.

For me, the answer is, on the contrary, to alleviate suffering IS ONE OF MY DESIRES.

So, to begin with the end in mind, to put my desires, and the goals that grow out of those desires, in a hierarchy, would involve goals to help suffering.

With this in mind, one of my "ends" is to promote awareness about Third World poverty. I have opened a Twitter account under the name NotforProfitOrg, and I invite you to follow me.

Beginning with the end in mind is essential. We don't get much time in this earth, so use what time you have properly.

Follow me here: http://twitter.com/NotforProfitOrg