Life On Purpose Moment

I have a handful of books that are a 'must read' - yearly! The 7Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey is one of them.

I am preparing to give a 'Life on Purpose' talk this Friday at The Aftershock and will be posting content for the students to access from my blog.

This installment is an outline of Habit #2 (Begin with end in mind). Consider buying the book or read Habit#2 for FREE during your next Barnes and Noble visit.

Habit #2 -- Begin with the End in Mind
Principles of Personal Leadership

To begin with the end in mind is to begin with the image of the end of your life as the frame of reference by which everything else is measured. We may be busy, we may be efficient, but we will only be effective if we begin with the end in mind.

All Things are Created Twice
Habit 2 is based on the principle that all things are created twice:
a mental or first creation
a physical or second creation
Most endeavors that fail, fail with the first creation.

By Design or Default
There is a first creation to every part of our lives. We are either the second creation of our own proactive creation, or we are the second creation of other people's agendas, of circumstances, or of past habits.

A Personal Mission Statement
The most effective way to begin with the end in mind is to develop a personal mission statement. The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about, and what you value. Once you have a sense of mission, you have the essence of your own proactivity; the vision and values which direct your life, the basic direction from which you set your goals.

A Principle Center
Our lives need to be centered on correct principles -- deep, fundamental truths, classic truths, generic common denominators. As a principle centered person, you try stand apart from the emotions of situations and from other factors to evaluate options.

Feel free to leave comments or questions.

Ralph