Most of us tend to think we are forward looking people.  We like to equate forward looking with being optimistic, but that’s not want I mean this time.

When you plan a project or seek to achieve a change or a goal, how to you go about planning.  Do you start from today and think about all the steps you need to take, thinking what’s next or and then what after each previous step until you reach the desired change or goal?

Or do you start with the end state and work backwards asking what needs to happen before the final step/delivery, and before that, before that, before that until you reach back to today?

People will argue one method is more effective than the other; I am not sure it matters too much, but I do know that the planning, the process of identifying the steps matters significantly – it brings clarity, reduces fear, activates the possible, and creates a path into the unknown.