The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Entry #2

Habit Number 2: Begin with the End in Mind

This past weekend, I attended one of my favorite events of the year, the Capitol City Classic Showchoir Competition in Montgomery, Alabama. I'm a showchoir fanatic, and this past weekend was one of three competitions that I will go to this semester. You may be wondering how showchoir has anything to do with this book... Well, hopefully I can explain myself in this entry.

Begin with the End in Mind; that is, have a goal to look forward to and work for. That just so happens to be the kind of thinking I have been applying recently. I have created a Showchoir at Samford University, and it has been one long process..... Because the process was so strenuous and long, there were several moments of difficulty, and I wanted to give up and quit the whole thing. However, by thinking ahead to the future, when this organization would be successful, I was able to endure and keep working until it was approved as an official organization at Samford University. Throughout the reading of this habit, I could not help but think of showchoir. (partly because my mind was racing with showchoir ideas due to the competition I had just attended!)  

Leadership, Management, and Productivity- these are 3 Major Aspects of our personal and business management. These 3 Aspects are 3 that I am going to have to maintain if I want this new organization to be successful. Although Covey meant for this to be understood as a psychological statement to better our personal lives, I have been able to use it to help me in my situation as the new leader of a new group. 

Also, as a leader I will need to center my life on principles and not certain people or things. I have tried to figure out whether I focus on certain people, such as my family, friends, or self, and I have come to a conclusion that it is probably a combination of all. By reading this habit, I have realized that I need to "center" on principles, because only then will I have successful relationships and achievement.

Although I am passionate about showchoir, I am also passionate about my time here on earth and how I am going to spend it. I recognize that I must invest in these principles and be  able to recognize people's needs by looking at the balanced whole of a situation. By doing so, I also hope to allow the love of Jesus to spread to others.