A few weeks ago, Kanye West premiered the video for his single “Runaway”. While not so much a video as a short-film, it began with what turned out to be the ending.

It’s not the first time I see this technique used. “Fight Club” did it, as did “Memento”. Books do this as well, just read anything by Chuck Pahlaniuk. I recommend “Survivor” or “Lullaby”.

I’ve noticed that pretty much any time this technique is employed, the whole thing turns out pretty good. And I have a theory for this. When you know the ending of something, you’re automatically invested in the rest of the story because you just have to know how the characters get that point, usually a pretty dramatic moment in the story.

All this has affected me in the way I live my own life. I’ve become obsessed with my ending. I don’t mean my death, although that’s intriguing as well. No, what I mean is that in my own head, I can see the ending of my story. I can see the point I want to get to in my life, the end of struggling to survive. I’ve created my future in my head.

I believe that is something that any person who wants to be successful-however you might define success-needs to do. How can you get to where you want to go without knowing where that place is?
That probably sounds a lot like all that positive thinking, new age, “The Secret”, mumbo jumbo. It’s not. I hate that stuff. Simply imagining what you want won’t get you there. It takes a lot of work, dedication and sacrifice. And ultimately that’s the exciting part.

What makes applying this “end as the beginning” process to real life so exciting is that you’re not only an observer; you’re an active participant, the main character even, in the story. Your life as you know it depends on reaching the end that you’ve already crafted in your mind.

So what’s my ending? Where does my own story end up? That’s really for only me to know. But I can guarantee that it won’t be anything small and once I get there I’ll be sure to let the world know. So I suggest you stay tuned, it’ll be worth it.