Simple Lessons:
Short, concise lessons and concepts helpful to students
and teachers
Mokuteki o Motte Hajimeru - Begin With the End in Mind
By Terry Bryan
As an educator, I constantly remind students that it does not matter
where you are coming from; all that matters is where you are going.
To
know where you are going it is imperative to understand that your future
will be based on your actions of today. If you plan your current actions
based on where you want to be in 1 year, 3 years or even 5 years from
now, you are indeed beginning with the end in mind.
In Japanese this concept
is described as Mokuteki o Motte Hajimeru. The kanji translates as “see,
target, hold it, and begin” or
in other words, to see the target, hold it in the mind and then begin.
This very powerful concept of seeing the future you want in the mind,
and then living your life as if it was already a reality is one of the
real keys to success in anything you want to achieve in life.
The true warrior knows his skills, weaknesses and values, and prioritizes
his actions based on his future goals. Before you can be successful,
you must identify what it is you really want, create an action plan to
achieve these goals, and constantly work toward that end. In goal setting, first
identify your true values, do long range planning
and work backwards to quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily goals. Know
what you want, know what it is going to cost, and be willing to pay the
price.
Earl Nightingale once said, "Happiness is the progressive
realization of a worthy ideal." You will only feel happy when
you are moving, step-by-step, toward the accomplishment of a clearly
defined
goal. In order to achieve goals, it is important to constantly evaluate
your own strengths and weaknesses.
Here are 7 steps towards successful
future planning.
1. Dream big dreams
If you could be, do or have anything
in life and were guaranteed you would not fail, what would you do? Go
for it, don't hold back. Visualize
yourself 5 years ahead and everything you had envisioned had succeeded.
What would it look like? What would make you happy?
2. Identify your unique talents and abilities
What makes you special? What
do you find easy to do, but others think is hard? Sometimes, ask others
what they think you should do. Many times they will see unique talents that
you have overlooked.
3. Resolve to do what you love to do, and
commit to be excellent at it.
It is only when you are growing in something that is important to you
that you feel alive and in touch with your world. Remember that excellence
is not a destination, but a life long journey.
4. Accept
100% responsibility for who and where you are in life.
You are where
you are because that is what you have chosen. You are what you are and
where you are because of your past behavior. If
you want
to change the future, then you need to change your behavior today.
True maturity begins when you realize that no one is coming to the
rescue, but that you are totally responsible.
5. Be honest
with yourself
Refuse to engage in the idea that the laws of cause and
effect will ignore you. You know that everything that you get will be
because
of something
that you have put in. The biggest mistake is to expect something
for nothing. Success only comes from paying in full, in advance.
6. Set
clear specific goals
Less than 3% of people have written goals, and
everyone else works for them. Only serious goals are written down. The
more you write
down your
goals, the clearer they become in your mind and the more you believe
they are attainable. The more they become attainable in your mind,
the more you are willing to overcome the obstacles that will come
in the
way.
7. Resolve to persist until you succeed
Be willing to endure
the problems that you are going to face. Persistence is self-discipline
in action. Your persistence is your belief in
yourself and your ability to succeed. The more you believe in yourself,
the
higher your self-esteem. Soon you will develop an unstoppable attitude.
If action without thought is the cause of most failures, then action
based on proper strategic planning is the foundation of all successes
and the core to black belt excellence.
About the Author:
Terry Bryan is the former General Secretary for the USA-NKF (National
Karate Federation), the official governing body for the sport of karate
with the US Olympic Committee. He currently is the Executive Director
for the American Black Belt Academy, a 501c3 non-profit organization
located in Colorado Springs. His column, Simple Lessons, regularly appears
on FightingArts.com.
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