Next Destination: Your Life

Stephen R. Covey states in his book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" that you must begin with the end in mind. What does that mean? It means that you must first establish a goal or a dream. Once you have this goal, you must envision yourself existing in that goal in the future. You must be able to see, feel, hear, taste, and smell it. You must be able to close your eyes and be there, in that moment in the future, to truly be able to step on the path that will take you there.

Let's say next week you decide you want to go on a trip for vacation. You load up the car, get the kids ready, you've stocked your cooler with drinks and snacks. Next you put on your seat belt, and start the car. You pull out of the driveway, and stop. Why did you stop? Well, where are you going? Do you have a map or an actual destination to go to? How can you go somewhere when you really haven't decided where to go?

Now you could be one of those risk-taking pioneers of the road and leave it to chance. Wherever you arrive is where you arrive. That is the way a lot of people go through life. They just get in their car, and start driving without any real idea of where they are going or what it will be like when they get there. A lot of the time it is too late when you have arrived nowhere and your life is over.

So what is your next destination? When you plan a trip, usually you find it on a map, look at places to eat, hotels to stay at and attractions around your destination. When you form a goal in your life, it is much the same process. What will it look like when you get there? How much will it cost? How much do I need to save? How much time will it take to get to my destination?

Establishing a goal can be a stressful situation. What if it is the wrong goal, you might ask yourself? Or maybe, what if I can't achieve it? The answer is you will achieve your goal, because you are the creator of your destiny. You have the power to make it happen. It does not matter where you are in your life. You can not change the past, but you do have the absolute power to shape and sculpt your future.

I have a colleague who plays the flute. He had played it for years and even studied it in college. He was worried about making money and so pursued a different career in counseling, but he still loved music. He always wanted to play on stage with a symphony orchestra. He continued to practice and played for his own enjoyment and to entertain his friends and family. What he really wanted to do was play in a symphony. He imagined what it would be like in front of thousands of people applauding him. He imagined the excitement of the curtain going up, playing his part and making beautiful music for others to enjoy. He kept the vision alive for years. Finally an opening in the local symphony came open. He practiced hard and auditioned. He gave me a CD of that symphony's performance the other day. He was playing the flute as he had always dreamed of in the symphony. At the end of the recording I heard what he had heard that night, thunderous applause.

Once you step on that path for the journey you have selected, don't look back. The only one who can stand in your way is you. If you feel doubt or fear along the way, close your eyes and remember that moment in the future. Bask in the experience of what it will be like when you arrive. See all of your friends and loved ones there supporting you and patting you on the back, praising you, saying "You made it!" Just place your foot upon the path. The next destination is the rest of your life.