Begin with the End in Mind #TBT

This post is from 2 years ago.

Begin with the End in Mind is Habit 2 in the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey.

And since today is Plan Your Epitaph Day, this seems like a good time to talk about this. I did touch on this briefly in yesterday's post but I'm expanding on the idea today.

Since the library decided that they would be closed on Easter and I don't know where my copy of the book is right now, I'm going from memory and what I can find on the Internet.

There is a visualization exercise in the book where you are to imagine you're viewing your own funeral and several people get up to speak about you, such as friends and family members, co-workers, etc. What would these people say about you if you were to die right now? Would it really be what you want to be remembered for? Or are there things you want to change in your life? If there are changes that you want to make, today is a good day to begin making these changes.

You don't have to apply these principles only to the end of your life. You can also apply them to any project or goal that you have. First, visualize the outcome that you want and then take the steps needed to accomplish that goal or project. For more on this, see my series of articles on goal setting here.

This is why I got started in network marketing. When I was re-reading the book about 6 years ago I thought about who would be at my funeral. I figured my wife (at the time), the kids, my sister and probably my nieces would be there. That's when I decided it would be good to meet more people. Also, at about that same time I read "We Want You to be Rich" by Robert Kiyosaki and some guy with funny hair named Donald Trump. They suggested network marketing as a way to become rich. Right after this is when I got started with Beachbody, followed soon by SendOutCards.

Interesting days

Today - Plan Your Epitaph Day, Army Day, New Beer's Eve, Tell A Lie Day and Tartan Day Here's some kilts and bagpipes for you. And if you have any caramel leftover from yesterday's Caramel Day celebration, it's also Caramel Popcorn Day. Here's a recipe for making your own caramel popcorn using packaged caramels. This recipe contains peanuts so it's like Cracker Jack…but you can also just leave them out if you don't like, or can't eat, peanuts. Or you can be like me and just buy some Cracker Jack and get candy coated popcorn, peanuts and a prize!

Tomorrow - Walk to Work Day, No Housework Day, World Health Day and Beaver Day

Next Thursday - Thomas Jefferson Day Probably one of the most, if not THE most, intelligent presidents we've ever had. When President John F. Kennedy welcomed forty-nine Nobel Prize winners to the White House in 1962 he said, “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent and of human knowledge that has ever been gathered together at the White House—with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.” And it's also Scrabble Day

May 6 - No Diet Day, Infidelity Hurts Awareness Day, Join Hands Day, Beverage Day, No Homework Day and Free Comic Book Day Find a comic book store near you that's celebrating!