2017年7月15日

Habit2 Begin with the end in mind

What is  Begin with the end in mind？

To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination.It means to know where you are going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the direction.Peope often find themselves achieving victories that are empty,successes that have come at the price of things they suddenly realize were far more valuable to them.

People from every walk of life often struggle to achieve a higher income,more recognition of a certain degree of professional competence,only to find that their drive to achieve their goal blinded them to the things that really mattered most and now gone.

“Begin with the end in mind” is based on the priniple that all things are created twice.The mental or the first creation and the physical or second creation.

In fact I think the habit 2“Begin with the end in mind” just means the mental or the first creation.

Take the  construction of a home ,for example.You design it in every detail before you hammer the first nail into place.You try to get a very clear sense of what kind of house you want.You work with ideas.You work with your mind until you get a clear image of what you want to construct.

Then you reduce it to blueprint.All of it is done before the earth is touched.So you begin with the end in mind.

The same is true with parenting.If you want to raise responsible ,self-disciplined children,you have to keep that end in mind as you are around with them .

It sounds easy,but can you really begin each day with the end in mind ？Do you really know “the end”of everything？

In fact what matters most gets buried under layers of outward things.So we can not see the “end”.In other words the “end” of everything is in harmony with our paradigm,the basic vaules and the principles.

To begin with the end in mind means to approach my roles with my deepest values , my paradigms and the correct priciples.

Habit 3 Put first things first

Habit is the  practical fulfillment of Habit 1 and Habit 2.

Habit 1 says you are the creator.

Habits 2 is the  first or mental creation.

Habit 3 is the second or physical creation..

If  Habits 2 can be thought as leadership,Habit 3 can be treated as management.

Effective management is putting first things first.While leadership decideds what first things are,it is management that puts them first day in and day out.Management is discipline,carrying it out.

Habit 3 is dealing with management,which must involves Time management.There are four generations of time management.An emerging fourth generation recognize that Time management is not to manage time,but to manage ourselves.

Then the author uses the time management matrix to define the effective personal management.We should focus on quadrant 2(important ,not urgent).

Effective management also means delegation.Transferring responsibility to other skilled people enables youto give your energies to other high-leverage activities.A parent who washes the dishes is a producer, and a parent who delegates washing the dishes to a child is a manager.

Gofer delegation means "go for this,go for that,do this,do that",which is not a job of manager;but a producer.Gofer delegation focus on one-to-one supervision of methods.

A effective management should do stewardship delegation,which focus on results instead of methods.Stewardship meas a job with trust.

Trust is the highest form of human motivation.It brings out the very best in people.