Scaffolding is an essential piece of equipment in any complex building project. It enables us to reach parts of a project we would otherwise have to neglect due to height or some other factor that could make the desired area difficult to reach.

When we assemble a scaffolding platform, we intend to anticipate what needs to be reached. Sometimes it takes days, weeks, or even months to build scaffolding ahead of time before we expect to actually reach what we intend to work on.

But what if we didn’t build it properly, or put it in the right place? That’s a problem. That means we didn’t plan our task correctly and we need to adjust, or tear down and rebuilt the platform and try again. This may be done just once, or multiple times before the desired position for the work is reached, which then sets the position for the results needed, still pending the work itself.

The success principles of the mind work in the same fashion.

Our thoughts take the place of the scaffolding.

Our beliefs take the place of the goal to be reached.

Our outcomes take the place of the area where the work must be started. Whether the quality of that outcome is desirable or not, the effort of building, moving, and predicting the required positions of the scaffolding remains the same.

As builders, we are responsible for how we build our mentality based on the position and accuracy of our thoughts.

Thoughts are just equipment but used correctly, they enable finishing the job. But first, you need the right thoughts in the right places to even get to where you need to work.

If unfinished or built inaccurately, the scaffolding itself will be rendered useless, no matter how much effort was wasted to build it in the first place.

Plan your outcome, pick your starting point, and understand where you need to end up to do your work.

If you don’t, you’ll spend considerable energy building an upward and dangerous path to nowhere.