Episode #181 Think Big Picture

Five Problems

• We are often too focused on the here and now to answer the big questions of life.
• We are more likely to be burned out by our work when our role is disconnected from our organization’s mission.
• We will not accomplish our most important goals if we fail to break them down into bite-sized daily decisions.
• A life devoted to our own comfort, ease, and pleasure is rarely as meaningful as a life devoted to others.
• We struggle to see the purpose of pain when we experience life not as a broad narrative but as a series of snapshots.

Five Principles

• The first ingredient of success is perspective.
• There is no belief that can impact our lives more than this: we are going to die.
• We can take Stephen Covey’s words a step further, not just beginning with the end in mind but also becoming with the end in mind.
• We may be the main character in our own story, but we are a supporting character in every other story.
• Life is too sacred to invest in things that don’t really matter.

Five Practices

• Consider the question, “Who do I want to be at the end of my life?” and take steps to become that person today.
• Spend an afternoon this month writing your funeral journal, a list of statements you desire others to speak truthfully after you have breathed your last.
• Prior to each significant decision, pause to evaluate its impact on others.
• Don’t ask yourself, “Is this right or wrong?” but rather, “Is this wise and worthy of my effort and energy?”
• View your parenting practices through the lens of, “Who do I want my children to become?”