The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Habit 2 - Begin with the End in Mind

Habit 2, "Begin with the End in Mind" is the habit of vision, of purpose, of mission. It is a sense of what your life is about and how you want to live it. It includes the principles and guidelines you want to live by. It's also not just your values, for values without vision are insufficient... ...

For many, the test or hard moment for Habit 2 comes when you are tired and lazy - just going with the flow. Some new projects or meeting or day begins and you simply do not do the mental, emotional and spirtual work inside yourself to get a sense of how you would like it to end up. This does not mean you decide all the exact details of how you want the meeting or day to end up. But rather, you do decide what you want the spirit of that day or meeting and the quality of the relationship to end up like. You feel deeply committed to worthy end results and yet no action has been taken. "

- Covey, S.R, 1994
Daily Reflections For Highly Effective People, p.g. iv -v