It’s the opening movie scene.  All you see are snapshots of what seems to be a culmination of earlier events that bring us to this one scene.  Usually, the scene is either a decision point where the principal actor is at a crossroads, or a showdown where two actors face-off, or the classic explosion scene! After you’ve sat there puzzled yet intrigued, the movie suddenly progresses to the beginning scene and you realize you were watching the end all along. So the mystery you are trying to figure out is how everything led to the impending conclusion.

In the film business, this is called Reverse Chronology.  Essentially, this is a method of story-telling whereby the plot is revealed in reverse order.  This method can also be seen in literature, television and even in music. The premise is simple: See the end first, based on the end, develop the beginning.  This concept is one that intrigues me because the same methodology can be applied to our personal and professional lives.

Last month, I put out an article called “The Spirit of Excellence Challenge” where I asked you to challenge yourself to obtaining excellence in at least 2 areas in your life.  The premise of this challenge was to experiment greatness, stretch ourselves to the point of excellence.  As I mentioned in the article, one basic and fundamental aspect of achieving and sustaining excellence is organization.  With organization the fundamental question we ask ourselves is “what’s the plan?”  My viewpoint is that it’s much easier to visualize the results first and work backwards into the plan.

This is exactly how most, if not all of the pioneers of our days have achieved greatness.  They think about what they want to achieve, they think about what aggravates them so much that they want to elicit change, they think about what the world would look like years from now.  They begin at the end.  Take for instance the storied career of Oprah Winfrey. No one could have imagined that a girl from Kosciusko, Mississippi would grow up to become an internationally known actress, talk show host, producer, and owner of her own TV network.  From a young age, Oprah had the desire to be on stage. As a child, she played games interviewing her corncob doll and the crows on the fence of her family’s property.  She saw herself as a talk show host and began to set the wheels in motion to create her path to victory.

I applied this concept to my own life.  I envisioned myself at the age of 65.  What would it look like, where would I be? I picture myself lecturing to college-level students.  Although the course content is not specified in my vision, I see myself in a business management-oriented field.  I see myself being able to connect with students in ways that only few professors can.  I am able to combine books smarts with real world experiences gathered over a 40 year career.  A career that has allowed me to travel, train and consult people all over the world.  My wife and family play a large part of what I see as well.  My wife, with her Business Psychology background leads an equally fulfilling career in counseling and consulting.  Together, we write books that motivate a new generation to love and live out all the blessings this world has to offer.  We participate in mission trips to help others in their spiritual walks.

This sums up where I see myself in 30 years. To drill down even further, I set goals associated with this vision.  For example, a plausible goal would involve getting the required education to teach at a collegiate level. Another plausible goal would be aligning my career goals to vision by gaining the roles and skills to attain my victory. So far, both my wife and I have started our blogs.  As she pursues her educational goals, I pursue my career goal as a consultant. We believe we are well on our way to our vision. Lastly, once the vision and goals are clear, I develop the plan.  The plan may be for me to start applying for schools or considering if I’m in the right place to achieve my career goals. Regardless of whether it’s personal or business, once the vision and goals are clear, developing the strategic plan is key to moving in the right direction.  Additionally, creating a timeline will allow you to achieve realistic milestones.

The last thing to remember is that the beginning is always tough, and actually, the middle is tough too.  This is why focus is necessary to persevere through the hard times.  One of my favorite verses in the Bible is in Ecclesiastes 7:8 which states “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” This verse tells me two things, for one there will be tough times, there is no denying this.  Secondly, it reminds me that things may not go exactly as planned, I may not achieve my goals in my ideal time, but it will happen eventually. If films have taught me anything, the protagonist normally creates a plan and succeeds by the end of the movie.  It comes across as much simpler undertaking considering the 2-hour or so duration but I challenge you once again to achieve aspects of your goals within this year. If you are unsure where to start, take my advice…begin at the end.