Begin with the End in Mind 🧠

“Carpe Diem.” — Mr. John Keating, Dead Poets Society

“It’s a beautiful day, don’t let it get away.” — Beautiful Day, U2

I had some time to kill after work last week before heading over to an event.

And as anyone does with time to kill, I pulled into the parking lot of CAVA with Ben Rector in the speakers, dreaming of the Make Your Own Rice Bowl I was about to order.

Just me?!

During that time, Like the World Is Going to End came on shuffle.

And it stopped me in my tracks.

I have heard it a million times over the years but it resonated differently this time.

Rector starts with a posed question —

“If we found out that the world was going to end on Tuesday morning, what would everybody do?”

…followed by an answer to that question —

“It's funny how the thought of that can make some things real important and a lot of things seem pretty worthless too.”

…then, later bridging with this —

“We spend most our lives and almost all our time on what we don't care about, what we could do without. And the tragedy is that we can't see it. We can't see it until time is running out.”

I sat there, stunned and humbled, left with a growling stomach and swirling thoughts:

• I want to spend my life on what I do care about.

• I don’t want to wait to see it until time is running out.

• What is important to me? What is worthless?

In the spiral (we all have them, right?), I was reminded of 2 strategies from Stephen Covey and Moses —

1) Begin with the End in Mind ☀️

In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey lays out seven strategies to grow in effectiveness as leaders.

Habit #2 suggests beginning with the end in mind by defining clear measures of success and a plan to achieve them. It is about having —

• Vision — where do you want to go?

• Strategy — how will you get there?

• Commitment — how will you stay the course when adversity strikes?

• Proactiveness — what is the next right step you can take towards your vision?

By envisioning where we want to go, we see more of what we care about and don’t care about. We see what’s “real important” and what is “pretty worthless too.” We are freed from the bondage of distracted inaction and into focused momentum.

In the fight for direction and purpose, begin with the end in mind.

2) Number Your Days 🌖

Moses, who is widely-regarded as a highly effective leader, recorded a prayer as he led a nation from scarcity to promised abundance.

He wrote, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalms 90:12, NIV).

As Moses learned to number his days —

• Time became more valuable.

• Wisdom increased.

• Vision deepened.

• Leadership grew.

And as a result, he clearly saw over time what was “important” and “pretty worthless too,” leading to more effectiveness as he shepherded the Israelites from captivity and wandering to the promised land.

Kinda like what Stephen Covey and Ben Rector said, too?

Go!

“We spend most our lives and almost all our time on what we don't care about, what we could do without. And the tragedy is that we can't see it. We can't see it until time is running out.” — Ben Rector

As a young professional, do you feel stuck spending almost all your time on what you could do without, on what you don’t care about, distracted and reactive?

Don’t wait “until time is running out” to make a change. Instead, consider —

1. Beginning with the end in mind — develop a vision and strategy for where you are planted and where you want to go — work, passions, community, church, finances. Pair it with commitment and proactiveness in action.

2. Numbering your days — remember the Source of life and how finite life really is. “Make the most of every opportunity” (Ephesians 5:16, NIV) by numbering your days.

Hear this — by beginning with the end in mind and numbering our days, we become proactive in action rather than reactive in distraction.

And The Yo Pro is in your corner to encourage and equip you along that journey.

See you next Tuesday.

If you are looking for practical ways to flourish as a young professional, consider subscribing to The Yo Pro and sharing with others using the link below.