Seeing backwards

King Arthur’s adviser and wizard, Merlin, was said to have the prophetic ability to see future events. Merlin’s origins are shrouded in mythology and further confused by the myriad of chroniclers through the centuries who have added their own interpretation to the stories of King Arthur and his Knights. According to one legend, Merlin was born as an old man and aged backwards, thus his ability to see what others thought was the future was actually a recollection of his past.

If we told you that you could become your own wizard by imagining the future look and feel of something that you want to achieve, and then seeing backwards, would you be interested? Business consultant Paul Lemberg calls this the “Merlin Method,” and he believes it can help you do something that you’ve never thought about doing before. The reason for this is because there are some things that you would like to do, but you might have no idea how you can achieve the outcome.

To effectively apply the Merlin Method, your first task is to imagine that you are standing at the end of a timeline where you have achieved your goal. Describe what it looks like and feels like to you. Now, look backwards and visualize the specific action steps you took on the timeline and the resources that you used to get you there by asking this question: “Just before I achieved this goal, what was the last significant thing that had to happen?”

Once you answer that question, you simply keep asking this same question over and over and writing the response: “What was the last significant thing that had to happen before reaching this step?”

As you write the responses to the questions, you’ll create a process, or a series of action steps that end with the first step you must take that will lead to the achievement of the goal. This now becomes your roadmap for success. The only thing you need to do now is outline the people and resources needed to achieve each step. You can also determine the amount of time and any deadlines for the steps so you can reach your goal in a timely manner.

Now why is this process more effective than just starting at the beginning and moving toward the end? This is how people usually plan, but one of the problems is that people tend to leave important steps out because they often internalize the process and forget things that are either critical or trivial. Seeing backwards helps avoid leaving out those steps.

This process can be used for professional, personal, or political purposes. If you’re planning a family trip, imagine you and your family at the final destination and start asking the series of questions: “What was the last significant thing that had to happen before you got there?” You may have to rent a car, purchase airline tickets, get passports, pack, get online to learn about the place or get directions, etc.

The process can even be used to help improve the overall economy of the CNMI. There have been many visioning conferences and meetings that look at desirable future goals for the CNMI. It’s a no-brainer that tourism is our best hope to improve the economy, but what are the specific steps we must take to make it a reality. Using the Merlin Method, the first step is to imagine a desirable future vision. This is more than just cranking out statistics of the number of tourists from various countries; it involves creating the future look and sensory experience that will compel visitors to travel to the Marianas. This also requires an understanding of the needs and wants of each target market. Once a collective future look and feel is envisioned and agreed upon, begin seeing backwards on the timeline until the last action step is determined. This then becomes the first step to realize the vision.

By working backwards from the achievement of the goal, you develop a timeline that has essential milestones. For your business, it creates a set of tactical actions that are necessary for you to realize your strategy. Bring key people together to brainstorm the steps and you’ll be working from the collective knowledge and wisdom of all the participants. There may be subtle, but essential steps that others discover and that could make a major difference when the plan is set in motion.

To make sure your plan is workable, think it through forwards to make sure the achievement of each milestone will produce the result you desire. Also, determine if you have the proper resources to realize each step, and if not, find ways to get the resources or develop alternative steps. This method will allow you to create a process to achieve any goal you can imagine. As Napoleon Hill stated in his classic book, Think and Grow Rich: “Whatever the mind of man can conceive, and believe, it can achieve.” The Merlin Method gives you the process to create steps from the conception of a goal to its ultimate achievement, all you need to do is believe in the future and see it backwards.