CHARLOTTE – You don’t have to be a psychic to see the future.  However, you have to know what you want.

I’m talking about thinking with the end in mind.  Let me explain.

I recently had a talk with my nephew.  He is going through some particularly challenging training in the military that has already had 20% of the class drop out after just 3 weeks of a 15-week training.  And while I don’t believe he’s thinking that way, I got the sense that he’s thinking about how long 12 more weeks can be.

I went on to explain that he’ll want to use his thoughts wisely by seeing the end result in his mind, before ever getting there.  That entails seeing himself as one of the few to conquer this challenge, going through the graduation ceremony, and standing tall in his dress uniform.

I then mentioned that just thinking about it isn’t enough.

I told him that he’ll also want to feel, really feel, the pride he going to have knowing he’s completed this.  Sense the happy feeling he’ll have for himself and his brothers and sisters who’ve also completed the training.  And finally, allowing himself to understand how tremendous he’ll feel knowing that he’s just completed the toughest thing he’s ever had to do, while knowing of the great things yet to come.

This is thinking with the end in mind and it can be applied to your job, a relationship, athletics, or any challenge you may be facing.   Try it out and let me know your thoughts.