Habit 2 Of Steven R. Covey's 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People

Habit 2 of Steven R. Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is "begin with the end in mind." "Begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are now and so that steps you take are always in the right direction." (Covey 98) We need to have a personal direction to guide us daily. Without this direction we will not accomplish our end goal. Beginning with the end in mind is a step in the process of taking control our own lives and achieving personal leadership.

Most students that are approaching their junior year of high school are often asked one question- where are you going to college? Depending on the answer, it is often followed by Ð'- and what will your major be? For me, at 17 years old I had no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up. My choice of school was more about where my friends were going and how far I could get from home, not about my future or any sort of long term goal. At that point in my quest for higher education, I was certain I was going to attend the college where most of my friends would be headed. This certainty was then brought to an end by my parents. As I look back, I see that my parents probably did me the biggest favor. At that point, I had no end in mind- only a beginning to, what would have been a failing start at college.

After a few years in the workforce, with only a few junior college credits behind me, I realized that I needed to take personal control over my education. I soon realized that obtaining a college degree needed to become part of my personal goals and this achievement was necessary in reaching other goals, specifically career goals. Although my intentions seemed to motivate me to the return to the classroom, I did not have an end in mind. At that point, I was taking classes just to keep adding credits to my transcripts in hopes that one day I would