For me, starting projects is easy. New projects are fun and exciting. The difficulty is in finishing them. Finishing is what matters, however. It is in finishing the project that we get the results we want.
There are many reasons we do not finish what we start. We get busy, we get tired, or other things come up. Sometimes we do not finish out of fear. If we do finish, things may change. Sometimes we do not finish because we did not create and implement a plan to make the change happen.
Often we do not finish because we did not make a commitment. Talk is not enough. We have to take action. And usually we have to take action over and over again.
I have a friend who has told me for the past 15 years that her boss is horrible and that she has to get a new job. For 15 years I have agreed with her. Although she has made a few forays into the job market, she has never really committed to leaving her current job. She has never finished what she starts—finding a new job.
I have another friend who almost 20 years ago decided he wanted to be a writer. He has never finished a manuscript. Since he has not finished one, he has never had one to sell. He has never really made the commitment to investing the time and energy it takes to be successful as a writer.
I have many friends who have been very successful in new careers, new business ventures, and even new lives. I admire them greatly! I do not think that, in general, they are any smarter than my other two friends. I also do not thing they have any more luck. What they do have is the commitment to finish what they start, no matter what happens.
Besides commitment, focusing on the result we want to achieve can help us find the motivation and dedication to finish. Finishing matters!
