The Power of Vision – Beginning with the End in Mind

“’Begin with the end in mind’ is based on the principle that all things are created twice” Stephen Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

It was Friday, March 27, 1998 in Hobe Sound, Florida. My father had passed away that Monday, after having an aneurysm while teaching an adult Sunday School class. We had just come from the graveside service, and it was now my job to help my stepmom figure out what to do next regarding finances and life insurance. So, I headed to his office, a furnished room attached to the storage shed that sat behind their home.

I looked around my father’s office. It was so like him, mirroring the type of life he lived. Everything was in its place, ready for the next week. His desktop was neat, holding only a pencil holder, phone, daytimer and a portable tape recorder. I popped open the tape recorder. Sure enough, he had been listening to a sermon in preparation, I suppose, for his Sunday School lesson the next day.

On one wall were his built-in bookshelves, from floor to ceiling, containing his catalogued treasures – all his favorite authors. A life-long reader and student, he truly enjoyed his books.

Over in the corner was his drawing board, the one he had made himself when he started building houses in Columbus, Georgia in the late 40’s. He was a self-taught draftsman and would often draw the plans for the next custom home he was building. Sure enough, there was a complete set of plans for the current home he was building, folded over to the current stage of construction.

My older brother, also a builder in the same county as my father, later told me the story behind this in-process home. He said that, unbelievably, he had been approached in the receiving line for my dad by the owner. He was anxious about his new house – who will finish it now? In fact, he was so worried that he approached my brother again on the day of the funeral. My brother assured him that he would make sure it would get done – just, please, let me bury my father first!

How could my brother be so sure he could get this done? How would he know what to do? That’s what today’s post is about.

Begin with the end in mind

When someone sets out to build a new house, or have one built, they start with a vision of what they want in a home. But they do not jump right into the project – or, at least, they shouldn’t.

No, the house should be built twice – once on paper, and then on the building site. Before my father died, he had already drafted the owner’s vision of his new home into a set of plans. All my brother had to do to finish the house was to follow the drawings. The vision had been cast, my brother helped fulfill the vision.

For the intentional man, the same concept can be applied to every area of life, from your daily activities to your BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals).

Start small and manageable

But let’s put the BHAGs aside for a moment and look at some actions you can take that are maybe not so dramatic but do have a significant impact on your life.

Ask yourself: what kind of man do I want to be? Think deeply, projecting out five or ten years and even for your entire life. What about my character do I need to change or develop? What kind of husband do I want to be? What kind of father? What do I want my relationship to God to look like?

Now, create that vision in your head. An excellent way to do this is to imagine yourself at your own funeral and listening in on the people there as they remember you in one of the roles you’ve had over your life. What do you want them to say? What do you want them to remember about you?

For example, consider the fact that all married men should want to be thought of as good husbands. Where would you start in casting that vision; of beginning with that end in mind?

First, we should sit down and ask ourselves what a good husband looks like. We should also try to understand this from our wife’s perspective. Also, if we believe Scripture is authoritative in our lives, we should seek to determine what it says about being a good husband.

Setting the vision

This might be your vision:

“At the end of my life, I want my wife to stand in the receiving line and say, truthfully, that I was good and kind to her, that I lived with her in an understanding way, that I was a good provider, and that she always felt safe around me. I also want her to say that I was her best friend.”

Now that we have the vision, we should draw the plans. How do we set about accomplishing this “end”? By being intentional.

Let’s take a few of the elements of the vision above and break each down into possible action plans.

1. I will, daily, be good and kind to my wife.

a. I will compliment her on her appearance

b. I will never speak harshly to her

c. I will, from time to time, go outside my normal role to help out (be specific here)

2. I will, daily, seek to understand my wife (I hear you laughing, but let’s do the best we can here!).

a. I will be attentive to her likes and dislikes

b. I will ask if we can take a personality test to determine our innate differences.

c. I will take an interest in some of her hobbies.

3. I will be a good provider

a. I will be diligent about finding employment that provides for the needs of my family.

b. I will seek to improve my skills in [insert profession here].

c. I will work hard and will fight my tendency to be lazy.

d. I will be dependable and ethical.

Get started!

As you can see, the process of setting the end goals is not easy, but it is simple. Just as my father would start a set of plans by drawing the footprint of the new house, you can start your plans by putting down an outline of your vision.

Then build it out from there. Take that first step to beginning with the end in mind.