Begin with the End in Mind

Twenty-five years ago, I read “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey.?The book had a big impact on my life.?So much so, that I have read it several times since then, and I just finished reading it again.?The second habit is called “Begin with the end in mind”.?Covey talks about imagining your own funeral and what you would want people to say about you.?This may sound morbid, but it is actually an awakening experience.?

A couple months ago, when I was preparing my goals for 2022, I was reviewing my notes from previous years when I was doing my best to “Begin with the End in Mind”. ?I came across a note from 5 years ago.?I had written in my ten-year goals “build a Habitat for Humanity Home”.?It really struck me emotionally when I saw in writing that five years ago, I had sparked a goal that we completed this year.?

In March of 2020, I met with the mission team at our church and shared the idea of sponsoring a Habitat for Humanity build.?There was quite a bit of resistance considering we had to raise $50,000.?After a couple of meetings, the momentum began to build.?Fast forward to October 27, 2021 – We presented the keys for a new home to an Urbana family; a family we had come to love over the past year, working and struggling together to accomplish a goal.?

It took the involvement of many friends, church members, the City of Urbana, ESS Clean volunteers and long hours of planning and working onsite, but we got the job done.?It is a great sense of accomplishment to set a big goal and see it through to completion.?It feels even better to hand over the keys to a new home that was built with love and care by a community of believers.