Entries from June 2006 ↓

Begin with the end in view. It’s a concept too few understand and even fewer practice. But it works.

The fellow in the picture is walking backwards on a narrow beam. Can’t say I’ve tried that - or that I want to, but it illustrates the point of working backwards under difficult circumstances. Substitute life for that narrow beam.

Working it backwards, or beginning with the end in view, isn’t the same as going backwards or moving backwards. It’s all about progress. It’s about moving forward.

Pick a pursuit. It doesn’t matter what it is. Speed reading? Playing a musical instrument? Starting a career? Completing an education?

Begin with the end. Work it backwards.

Think of the successful conclusion to the pursuit. For example, consider the end result of doubling your reading speed. Or being able to play some of your favorite tunes on a musical instrument. Or having the job you seek so you can get your career going. Or getting your MBA.

Each of those are successful conclusions to a pursuit. Map it backwards and you’ll more clearly see what action you need to take so you can reach the goal.

There are some important points to keep in mind.

1. You should clearly define what you want. Don’t say, “I don’t know what I want.” Yes, you do. Grab a pen and paper. Sit down in a quiet place with distractions. Think about the life you want. Put it on paper.

If you’d like, write a letter to yourself. It’s a letter from the future where you’re telling yourself about the life you’ve created. Describe things in as much detail as you can imagine. Don’t worry about being too detailed. Worry about not being detailed enough.

Just let it pour out. Whatever pours out is likely to be what you really want. Keep in mind, life is not all about stuff. It’s about relationships, spiritual growth, developing talents and always learning. Make sure you lean toward wisdom in your dreams. That way, they’ll become goals when you commit them to paper.

2. Write down everything you can think of that will help you achieve the things you write in your letter to yourself. Start out slow. Focus on three things you can do. Write down the first things that come to your mind. Then, think deeper. Think specific. Don’t let any idea escape. If you think it will propel you forward toward your achievement, write it down. Not ignore the idea because you think it’ll be difficult. That doesn’t matter. The only criteria is, “Does it propel me forward toward my goal?” Add to the list every time something else comes to mind.

3. Now prioritize that list you just created. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Figure out the very best thing you can do start heading in the right direction - toward accomplishment. Just one thing.

4. Do that one thing. Don’t even think of veering away from it toward something else until you’ve got it done (or well underway). For example, if I wanted to learn to play the guitar my short list of three things might be:

- get a guitar
- learn to read music for the guitar
- take guitar lessons

Well, guess which one I’m going to do first? Nope, I’m not going to go shop for guitars. I’m going to enroll in guitar lessons. I might learn something about guitars that would alter which guitar I need. But just because I’ve enrolled in lessons doesn’t mean I won’t make progress toward other actions. Right time, right place and all that. The important thing is to get going with number one. I can add to it later. You can add to whatever your goal is, too. Got the idea?

5. Once you’ve completed or began doing the first thing — now reprioritize the list. What’s the next best thing you can do to keep moving forward? The first thing might affect your previous list. That’s why you have to do this every time you advance one step.

The guitar instructor might teach me that learning the guitar would be easier on one type of guitar. He might urge me to rent the exact model I need until I know more. That might give me a cheaper alternative to buying that flashy new Les Paul that has captured my eye. Now, buying a guitar of my own slips down the list even further because I’ve got new knowledge.

The same can happen to you as you advance toward whatever goal you’ve set. Learn something at every step. Re-do your list each time.

6. Be tenacious. Don’t stop until you’ve completed the goal. You’ll earn no points for hitting a 50% accomplishment rating. In fact, there is no such thing. You either accomplish your goal, or you fail to reach it. Sure, you can adjust your goal list at any time. But adjust it, don’t quit on it.

For example, if my goal were to be able to finger pick a guitar like Leo Kottke — over time (very quickly for somebody my age), my goal should change. I should gain the wisdom to know that goal is impractical and impossible. I need to adjust my goal, not give up on it.

So what if I can’t finger pick like Leo Kottke? I could still learn to play the guitar and get better over time. Eventually, I could even learn to finger pick a guitar. That’s an adjustment, not abandonment of the goal.

I’ve known young people who set out to enter law school or medical school only to find out they really didn’t have the skills necessary to succeed at it. That’s okay. Adjust the goal. The student who struggles with biology and other hard sciences shouldn’t seriously consider medical school. It’s not true that you can be whatever you dream you can be. I’m never going to play the guitar like Leo Kottke because he’s had a lifetime to learn his craft. I’ve not even begun the journey and I’m already middle aged. Not going to happen. That’s okay. Adjust the goal.

Kottke had a passion for the guitar at an early age. I did not. He learned young. I did not. He studied with masters. I don’t know a single cord. Reality check - I could take lessons, practice for hours on a regular basis, and over time I’d be able to play a respectable guitar. That is realistic. That’s reasonable.

Medical school requires skills and a mental make up not found in many people. Law school requires tons of reading and an ability to learn a new language - the language of the law. Few among us possess the necessarily ingredients to accomplish it.

Most of the kids I’ve known who bailed on those “dreams” were in love with their perception of being a doctor or being an attorney. Maybe they were in love with the notion of making big money, having prestige and working in a big tower downtown. Bad motives. Bad goals. Adjust them.

7. Never quit seeking to get better. What was Neil Armstrong supposed to do after walking on the moon? Goal accomplished, now what? New goal, that’s what. Keep growing. Keep reaching higher.

8. Find contentment in doing your best. We can’t all be number one. What we can all be is our best. Do that.

Work your way backwards so you see yourself having accomplished the goal already. Follow those steps and you’ll soon realize the accomplishments in your life will soar. Enjoy the flight.

The NBA Finals on ABC is using Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down A Dream” as sort of a theme song for this battle between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat. These athletic giants are certainly trying to run down their dream of being NBA Champs. Even the eventual losers are still running to chase their dream.

Petty ran down his own dream of becoming a rock star. According to his own website the dream began when he met Elvis in 1961 at the age of 11. The scrawny Gainesville, Florida kid picked up a guitar and never looked back. He eventually went to Los Angeles. Stardom wasn’t instant. He rocked, he rolled and persevered. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first Heartbreakers album. I’d say that qualifies him to sing of running down a dream (the song appears on Full Moon Fever, released in 1989).

What about your dreams? What are you running down?

Some of us are too busy running away. We don’t have time to run toward our dreams. Maybe we’re running away from financial burdens. Or we could be chased by the poor choices of our past - spending time in regret rather than building a better future. Sometimes the past is the cheetah to our gazelle. People run from all sorts of things that distract them from running toward a dream.

Running down dreams - or a dream - is full-time work that requires passion, exuberance and relentless pursuit. Dreams are goals for some of us. For others, they’re merely wishes. Wishes don’t require passion, exuberance or relentless pursuit. In fact, wishes don’t require anything other than a passing thought. That’s why they don’t often come true. They involve no effort.

I know lots of people who wish they had better, more successful, more fulfilling lives. I also know they’re doing nothing to accomplish it. Good luck - because luck is exactly what it will take for a wish to come true. Lottery winners are lucky.

Well, running down a dream and buying a lottery ticket don’t involve the same actions or behaviors. Tom Petty didn’t sit down in Florida hoping to one day become a rock star. He practiced. He played. He wrote songs. He played some more. He practiced some more. And when he felt ready he headed to where rock and roll was being made. He struggled. He failed. He played through it all continuing to write, practice and play. He failed some more, but he succeeded some, too. His own dream was run down by a long, patient process. Running down the dream wasn’t something that happened in an instance. It took a lifetime of experiences - some failures, some successes - disappointments and times of exhilaration. And Petty isn’t finished yet. The journey toward his dream continues. He’s living his dream.

For Petty fans it’s easy. We hear his songs. We see him in concert. We see the music videos. We weren’t there to see the failure. We weren’t there to see the thousands of days spent playing the guitar and writing songs. We see the performance, not the practice.

What about your dreams?

You’re either thinking wishfully of what you hope will become of your life…or you’re running down your dream! Don’t confuse running down a dream with wishful thinking. And don’t confuse running down a dream with being lucky. People who are running down a dream can improve their luck with hard work, dedication and resilience. Behave your way to what you want. That’s what real dreamers do.