All’s well that ends well

Every success books tells you the same thing. That no matter where you start, how you start, you have the power to influence your journey and take it to success. They say the beginning is not important enough, as long the end is where you are focused on. “Keep your eyes on the goal” they all tell you.

There is even a saying that goes like “All’s well that ends well” … it works for horror movies and fairy tales I guess. But this is life, and life is not one long mission that you complete and then magically its “happily ever after”.

It’s not one marathon that you run till the end of your time and hope to make it the longest run or the richest run or the fastest run. In fact life is a series of runs. Whether you think of it as one day at a time or as one phase (like 4 years of college, or 2 years of army training), it is all the same. Some sprints and some marathons, some longer than others, some tougher than others and some down right ridiculous or impossible to imagine.

That’s how everyone’s life will look when we look back…. not one journey… but a series of conquests … missions that we embarked on… some failed and some succeeded.

Changing your focus from just the end to include the beginning

If it’s going to be a series of missions or adventures, and you don’t know the nature of the next one. Whether it’s going to be long or short, easy or hard, lonely or with the love of your life, a happy one or a sad one etc.

My question is – Does it not make sense to prepare for the missions in such a way that no matter what happens you will be at your very best?

Wouldn’t you want to train and hone your skills and experience levels so that the next adventure doesn’t end up being your last?

Then doesn’t it make sense to be so prepared that the beginning of your next adventure is better than the beginning of your last?

To have made improvements in such a way that in reality you are having a better “beginning”. Like starting a video game with a few upgrades or extra lives already purchased.

Literally a New Beginning

Am definitely positive that this new and improved beginning will make a difference in the outcome of your journey. May be that is why they say that “planning is half the journey completed” or “Preparation is the key to success”. Take it a step further. Combine planning and and preparation – hone any skill you might think you will need.

The work you would put in to make the beginning better and then carry on as you have always done in previous adventures to see it through to a successful end would improve your chances of success than just working towards making it to a good ending.

It will cultivate a more pro active approach to life then just a reactive one.

That is why I believe that both the beginning and the end are equally important. Both hold  equal power to influence your success.

I already mentioned here, how I came to the realization (thanks to a friend and a yoga retreat) about things being totally out of ones control and the only thing truly in your control is your attitude, the resulting choices and the corresponding behavior or actions. The ones you take here and now.

Not the ones you took from yesterday when you were on another mission and I really can’t place my bets on the “you” from tomorrow.

So what adventure are you starting next and more importantly, what are you doing to plan and prepare for it so the beginning is way better than your last adventure?