Focus on the Outcome....
Let that outcome motivate you.
Before I realized that Franklin Covey wrote this as one of his 7 habits of Highly Effective People, I called it an outcome picture. The 2nd habit is, “Begin with the End in Mind.” This means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make it happen."
Most of us think with the end in mind without realizing it. Remember when you started, then completed a project? It could be reorganizing your kitchen cupboards, finishing a quilt, or cleaning the house. Chances are that thoughts about the result motivated you to get going. That doesn’t mean we always reach the picture we had in mind when starting the project. It’s easy to get distracted and off course, forgetting the outcome we were headed for.
Let’s imagine that you started your day with an outcome picture of certain events you knew or wanted to take place. “I see the kitchen clean, and all the dishes put away.” “I challenge myself to reject any negative views I have of myself and to switch to a positive view all day long.” “I’m tackling the messy closet and won’t quit until it’s organized.” “I’m going to do this stretching exercise for 10 minutes today.” We picture an outcome with each statement and those pictures keep us working toward it. Even getting a paycheck is an outcome picture. We see the money in our account and what we will need to do with it, before getting it. It keeps us going to work!
Every architect or builder has the end blueprint in mind as they begin the build. Every quilter buys the pattern, the fabric and puts the hours in to the project looking at the picture of the beautiful quilt it will become. When you start a 1000-piece puzzle, you keep looking at that beautiful picture on the box, as you seek out the right pieces.
What’s your challenge today, or any day? It could be starting a small exercise routine, knocking out sugar from your diet or cleaning out an overstuffed closet in your home. What is the picture you can form in your mind of the completed challenge? Sit in a quiet space, close your eyes, and see if you can get a clear picture of what it looks like when the challenge is complete. Sight, sounds, tastes, feelings…use all that applies to make the picture real.
When you have a big overwhelming project, do one small part of it. See yourself in an exercise routine, one time a week to begin with. Start eliminating sugar by cutting back. The idea here is to start, keep the outcome in mind, and keep at it.
To quote Franklin Covey again, "Continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make it happen.”
You got this.