My wife and I were out shopping recently when we engaged in a conversation about life. Well it was more of me asking her annoying questions and her humoring me, but the topic of our discussion dealt with decision making. Through the discourse I had a huge revelation…there are 2 diametrically opposed processes people employ for making decisions. There is the “starting with the end in mind approach” and the “looking at my circumstances” approach.
Through the conversation I learned that there are people who were raised to look at the circumstances surrounding them and agonize over every step along the way toward a goal. My natural bent is to start with the end in mind and work backward from that decision.
When you make decisions based upon circumstances it can create a belief system that causes you to function in an unhealthy “auto-pilot” approach. If you approach each situation by looking at the first obstacle, than all you see are obstacles standing in the way of where you really want to go. Over time you’ll just say “it’s too hard” or “it’s not worth the hassle”. Eventually you’re living in an endless cycle of failure. It’s the place where you have a lot of “I shoulds”. It’s the place where you start new things but never finish because it’s becomes too difficult or you lack the discipline to see them through. Let me give you an example. Let’s say you want to get into shape and drop some weight. The circumstance approach starts by looking at the immediate condition. “I’m not in good shape right now and I’d probably have a hard time getting in shape. I’d don’t have a lot of free time in my schedule so I’d have to get up early and I’m not an early morning person. If I did loose weight, I’d have to buy a new wardrobe and I can’t afford that so I’ll just sit on the couch.” Extreme example but you get the point.
The other end of the decision making spectrum is to start with the end in mind and let that filter determine ever decision. Let’s use the same example of getting in shape and losing weight. If you start with “I am going to lose weight and get in shape”, here’s how you approach the same scenario. “I will get into shape. I know it’s going to be hard and painful so I’m going to get a personal trainer to make sure I’m doing it right. I don’t have much free time, but I believe so much in the goal I’m going to cancel some standing evening appointments because this is more important. I’m also going to find a work out partner because I realize I’m not a morning person and I need someone to help hold me accountable. I can’t afford the wardrobe right now so I’m going to start saving as I go and sell a few things on ebay, because I’ll need a new wardrobe for my sexy new body that’s around the corner!”
When you start the end in mind the answer to ever decision you face is “YES”. The challenge begins with making choices to see your goal come to pass. It’s evaluating what things need to change in your life in light of the decision and what sacrifices do you have to go through to achieve the goal.
Start with the end and mind…commit to a goal and let that choice answer every decision.
Through the conversation I learned that there are people who were raised to look at the circumstances surrounding them and agonize over every step along the way toward a goal. My natural bent is to start with the end in mind and work backward from that decision.
When you make decisions based upon circumstances it can create a belief system that causes you to function in an unhealthy “auto-pilot” approach. If you approach each situation by looking at the first obstacle, than all you see are obstacles standing in the way of where you really want to go. Over time you’ll just say “it’s too hard” or “it’s not worth the hassle”. Eventually you’re living in an endless cycle of failure. It’s the place where you have a lot of “I shoulds”. It’s the place where you start new things but never finish because it’s becomes too difficult or you lack the discipline to see them through. Let me give you an example. Let’s say you want to get into shape and drop some weight. The circumstance approach starts by looking at the immediate condition. “I’m not in good shape right now and I’d probably have a hard time getting in shape. I’d don’t have a lot of free time in my schedule so I’d have to get up early and I’m not an early morning person. If I did loose weight, I’d have to buy a new wardrobe and I can’t afford that so I’ll just sit on the couch.” Extreme example but you get the point.
The other end of the decision making spectrum is to start with the end in mind and let that filter determine ever decision. Let’s use the same example of getting in shape and losing weight. If you start with “I am going to lose weight and get in shape”, here’s how you approach the same scenario. “I will get into shape. I know it’s going to be hard and painful so I’m going to get a personal trainer to make sure I’m doing it right. I don’t have much free time, but I believe so much in the goal I’m going to cancel some standing evening appointments because this is more important. I’m also going to find a work out partner because I realize I’m not a morning person and I need someone to help hold me accountable. I can’t afford the wardrobe right now so I’m going to start saving as I go and sell a few things on ebay, because I’ll need a new wardrobe for my sexy new body that’s around the corner!”
When you start the end in mind the answer to ever decision you face is “YES”. The challenge begins with making choices to see your goal come to pass. It’s evaluating what things need to change in your life in light of the decision and what sacrifices do you have to go through to achieve the goal.
Start with the end and mind…commit to a goal and let that choice answer every decision.
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