Begin With The End In Mind

Picture your life with the end in mind. What have you accomplished? Of what are you most proud? Who is by your side?

I had a glimpse of what I would like the end to look like today. I am a believer that God has already written the outline of my story on His tablet. However, I know that, like a good parent, He?ll allow me to make choices and not always those He would have for me.

Have you ever tried to complete a maze? Experience tells you to use a pencil because you never get it right on the first try. You study the maze before ever putting the pencil tip down. There is a clear beginning ? Start ? and a clear ending ? Finish ? but in between are a series of paths from which to choose. Some lead to a dead end early on, like the decision to take up the drums as a pre-teen. You turn around and head back to the beginning.

Other paths appear to be correct for awhile. You turn, twist and think you are headed to the finish line only to come up against a brick wall, like a failed marriage.

In our Pastor?s sermon this past week, he quoted Robert Frost?s famous lines of poetry:

?Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.?*

He reminded us that although Jesus set out on his journey knowing how his story would end, he took time along the way to have experiences, to create memories, to share his life with others.

And so it with us. We don?t know the end except that there is a guarantee to be one, yet we can begin to formulate now what our life will look like when we get there.

Are there children and grandchildren by your side? Do you have a particular career achievement? Did you make a difference in someone?s life? Did you create beauty in the world? Did you lead by example?

If you were to begin with the end in mind, what would be your first step toward your goal?

Would you hurry on your way, mindful of your life?s clock ticking?

Or would you savor each step, confident in the fact that you?ll get there someday?

Begin with the end in mind and then start walking.

*The Road Less Traveled, Robert Frost 1920

Deborah Chaddock Brown, owner of AllWrite Ink, has been writing since she was seven. AllWrite Ink is a corporate writing enterprise focused on providing solution-oriented content that enhances her customer's brand message. She writes Word People Read SM. She recently penned "It's a Party, Planning a Successful Retail Sales Event," a workbook designed to take the thinking out of planning a grand opening or customer appreciation day event for retailers. For more information visit http://www.allwriteink.com Deborah has two children and a kitten that inspire her thoughts and ideas.

By: Deborah Chaddock Brown