Why Begining with the End in Mind is Important

Lately during my trip in China, I met a friend who built schools in Tibet. He has been volunteering for nearly 20 years. He shared a very profound story on the importance of knowing the final outcome before taking any actions. About 15 years ago, many of his students are dying from severe roundworm infection. The reason is that these students share the same river water with their life stocks. As such, many of them fell ill and did not live beyond 16 years old. Thus, he raised funds to setup pipes that separates the river water for life stocks and human consumption. His solution only lasted for 2 weeks, and the villagers revert back to their old habits. He called his doctor friend and described his problem. The doctor suggested that the children to take a dose of medication twice a year. It prevents the children from falling sick. He raised more funds and got all the children the necessary medications. Interesting, the fund raiser for the medication is far lesser than the pipe project.…