Begin with The End in Mind

Habit 2.

Begining in mind is having a different perspective on life.

All things are created twice.

We create them first in our minds, and then we work to bring them into physical existence. By taking control of our own first creation, we can write or re-write our own scripts, thus taking some control and responsibility for the outcome. We write or re-write our scripts using our imagination and conscience.

Two Creations

First is leadership - what do I/we want to accomplish? (determines right or wrong)

Second is management - how can I best accomplish it? (efficiency)

According to Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis, "Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right things."

Self-Actualization:

the most effective way to begin with the end in mind is to develop personal mission statement, creeed or philosophy. It focuses on what you want to be (character), do (contributions and achievements) and on the values and principles upon which your being and doing are based. "The personal mission statement gives us a changeless core from which we can deal with external change."

'Viktor Frankel developed a philosophy called "Logotherapy". Logotherapy helps an individual detect his unique meaning or mission in life by reexamining his personal vision and values to assure they are based on principles and reality.'

Centre of Our Being:

We must reexamine the center of our life. Our center is the source of our security, guidance, wisdom and power. Making people or things outside ourselves important places ourselves at the mercy of mood swings, inconsistent behavior and uncontrollable changes of fortune. Being self-centered is too limiting - people develop poor mental health in isolation.

Principle-Centered Life:

By centering our lives on correct principles, we create a stable, solid foundation for the development of our life support factors and embrace and encompass the truly important areas of our lives. Successful relationships, achievement and financial security will radiate from the principle center.

Principles of Life:

The principles we base our lives on should be deep, fundamental truths, classic truths based on perennial wisdom.

Re-Scripting your Life:

Imagination In developing your personal mission statement, you can use your creative ability to imagine life milestones such as birthdays, anniversaries, retirement and funerals. What accomplishments would you like to celebrate? Visualize them in rich detail.

You can make your mission statement balanced and easier to work with by breaking it down into the specific role areas of your life and the goals you want to accomplish in each area.

If you find your actions aren't congruent with your mission statement, you can create affirmations to improve. An affirmation should have five ingredients: it should be personal, positive, present tense, visual and emotional.

Visulisation and Aiffirmation:

You can also use visualization techniques.

"Affirmation and visualization are both self programming techniques that should be used in harmony with correct principles."

Kinds of Mission Statements:

Mission statements can also be made for families, service groups and organizations of all kinds.

A family mission statement is an expression of its true foundation, its shared vision and values.

Organizational mission statements should be developed by everyone in the organization. If there is no involvement in the process, there will be no commitment to the statement. Organizational mission statement must be known to everyone in the organization.

The Habit of Proactivity

Social Mirrors:

In a society we believe in three deterministic explanations (that is, we lack stimulus freedom) of human inadequacy:

genetic determinism: It says, "Its a fault of your genes."

psychic determinism: "Fault of your parential upbringing."

environmental determinism: "Fault of your conditioning."

"All these 'faults' are out there. They're not in you."

Stimulus Freedom or Free Will:

But as we observe closely we will find that between stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose.

Proactivity Defined:

Proactivity means that, as human beings:

• We are responsible for our own lives.
• We can decide how the stimulus is going to affect us
• We have the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen.
• Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions.
• We can subordinate feelings to values.
• We are by nature proactive.

Three Central Values of Frankl:

Victor Frankl suggests that there are three central values in life:

• the experiential (that which happens to us),
• the creative (that which we bring into existence),
• and the attitudinal (our response to difficult circumstances such as terminal illness).

Taking the Initiative:

Taking the initiative means that we can at least affirm our basic nature and create an atmosphere where people can seize oppportunities and solve examples self-reliantly.

Act or be Acted Upon:

Proacitvity is facing reality and realising the we have the power to choose a 'postive response' our circumstances.

Circle of Concer/Circle of CInfluence:

We are concerned about many things with which we have emotional involvement. It is called as our "Circle of Concern".

Things over which we can excercise some control are called as our "Circle of Influence".

Reactive people focus their time and efforts on "Circle of Concern". But, when we work on things you can do something about. We're being effective and proactive

Direct, Indirect or No Control:

Our problems fall in three areas:

• Direct Control (problems involving our own behavior),
• Indirect Control (problems involving other people's behavior),
• or No Control (problems we can do nothing about).

Habit 1,2 & 3 deal with Direct control. Habit 5,6 deal with Indirect Control. No control can be best dealt with attitude.

Questions on "7 Habits.." 'Principles of Change'

The question of this discussion demands, before anyone comments on it, that we must have a deep understanding of the content of this book. Even lacking this prerequisite, I'll not stop from commenting on it.

I have perplexing questions about the 1st three (3) habits, because I've only touched these ones. And, I don't feel shy publishing their fury.I too realise, as some others have - I am a reactive person. After reading a lengthy, tedious and dense habit no. 1, I have seen in the light of my small experiences that it is easy starting doing something to create a change. This happens because the real enemy is spotted and teh friend discovered (identifying one doesn't let the opposite go undetected). And, I think, there lies a victory on the part of the author for he has shown other 'selfs' to identify their enemies and friends. Thus the conscious reader starts thinking and doing to bring about a change. All they have to believe in, as Obama says, "Yes, We Can!" And, to my knowledge, the problems this book (7 Habits, of course) address to are not unique to humans. They are old-age, but not out of order. Some are (this book focus on) perennial, some may not be.

Turing back to what interests me more, on this forum - My problems with the 3 chapters. I fear I don't have capacity to mention all of them here (imagine how idiot I am). But I will share what I am discussing with others these days.My 1st problem for today is - bringing a change in (a pathetic) situation which goes against my interests, and I realise it, through an independent will (the latter this the only hope in Stephen's eyes), even when all perceptions are clear!AS all of you know, Covey says that in order to change a situation, you need to change your perceptions. My perceptions anout the problem, do not doubt are clear.

No change yet!

Example: I made some years ago a contract with God, The Absolute, that for Him only I will wake up early in the morning around 5-6 am to meet Him under the tense but refreshing canopy of earth. You can understand how big this priority is, of course if you are not a secular fundamentalist who abhors what was beyond and before the Big Bang. As a matter of fact, I say this regretfully, that I didn't meet Him in several years for time period more than 5 months. And, even that's an exaggeration. If there is no quick fix, where is the sluggish fix that 'shall last for eternity'? How I can change this situation- remember the compulsion- how do I change this situation .... beginning first in the mind? Such that .... mind triggers or initiates the .... movement .... and then comes 'action to commitment' period? (Managers always work under compulsions.)

Take the people around you, not to blame or hurt anyone. But first please answer me. Is Not 'Perception' About Objective, Adequate, Full, Deep and Correct knowledge of the reality? If it is not in your opinion, please re-read the book.Take the world now: Many knowledgable persons who know so much act against what they know of. AS you may find (I have found) the knower of law exploding what is legal and what is lawful; you'll find a doctor who smokes, he the one who warned me not to touch it . Mention an evil, lo! they, the intelligent, knowledgable beings the ultimate man, has surpassed it. Many CSS officers had become criminal minded. DO they not see? DO they not know the complex implications of their immoral actions on their own self and on the large society? Where lies the difference?

Sticking to correct moral principles and its logic can be the only solution, as Covey would like to agree. Because, he quoted Cecil b. deMille saying,"It is impossible for us to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law."

The discussion has to come to an end. Yet, I am sceptic about the mechanisms of bringing the change, maybe I am not clear about the practical ones, suggested in the 'Habits'. I also do not demand the ready-made quick fix pills. I believe in revolutions, small revolutions, big revolutions, results of constant meditations and actions, actions and meditations. The question that I could not solve I leave that up to you to solve for me, yourself and others: Where's the tipping point? Where lie those small changes that trigger off to make big changes?