begin. You should read, review, reflect, and think about what
you are doing before you take action.
Over the years, I have read hundreds of biographies and
autobiographies of successful men and women in every field.
One common thread in these biographies that I discovered
was that true greatness only emerges with introspection,
retrospection, solitude, and contemplation. You will only
achieve the greatness you are capable of when you begin to
take time regularly to think about who you are, what you
want, and the very best way to achieve it.
Take the time to evaluate your life and your activities in a
larger context. Think of where you are today and where you
want to be in five years. Look at the activities that you are
engaged in today and determine which of them can have the
greatest impact on your future. This way of thinking will
allow you to manage your time much better than you can
even imagine at this moment. Sometimes, just one good
idea gained in a period of solitude or contemplation can
save you months and even years of hard work.
Long Time Perspective
Dr. Edward Banfield of Harvard University conducted more
than fifty years of research into the attitudes and behaviors
of high-performing people, both in America and worldwide.
He identified one special quality that seemed to separate the
high performers from the low performers. He called it “long
time perspective.” Banfield found that high performers took
the time to think far into the future, often ten and twenty
PROJECT FORWARD, LOOK BACKWARD 21