On Finishing Well

It sits there mocking me, another reminder of yet another unfinished project or goal. Finally, it gets put away in a closet or my mind. I’ll deal with it later, I think while I wondering when or if later will ever come.

It doesn’t matter what ‘it’ is, what matters is it isn’t finished. Some things take our whole lives to finish. But most everything else has a beginning, middle and a finish we can achieve. As we wind down our month of execution on our #MemoryMakeover, let’s do what too often we may not: finish well.

We all have those moments of eager motivation at the beginning of a year, season or even in this #MemoryMakeover challenge. But over time, the new wears thin and the work involved becomes difficult, monotonous or less than fun. So we pause and try to convince ourselves we’ll get to it later. But in reality, later never comes, at least not for that goal or project.

My challenge for us all is to finish well. It doesn’t matter if it’s a goal, project, or even something simple like preparing a healthy meal. Don’t limp across the finish line. Dig deep and push through. It probably IS challenging, boring, or not as exciting as the beginning or original idea was. But most things worthwhile in life take effort–sometimes lots of effort.

If we can dig deep to keep our motivation and execution moving toward our goals, the satisfaction and confidence we’ll gain is priceless. It could even spur us onto bigger, better or even loftier goals.

Here are some tips I’m using to keep up my motivation, move forward and finish well. See if they could benefit you…

  1. Assess current status of original goals. Similar to a race, we may not be keeping pace with where we hoped to be at this point. Maybe we sprinted ahead then got fatigued or didn’t anticipate the difficulty. Either way, assess current status to finish well.
  2. Realistically adjust. Once we know where we are and what’s left to do, we can realistically adjust with additional knowledge. What’s needed to finish well? Assistance, diligence, or more time or energy? Adjust what’s needed to keep moving forward well.
  3. Set mini goals. I do this often, even minute by minute, especially with difficult or unwanted tasks. Use the clock to finish x by a certain time, work until a designated portion is done or until another mini goal is met. Achieve the small and achieve the big.
  4. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. It’s like that lyric from the children’s Christmas movie song-Just put one foot in front of the other… It’s so simple, yet the hardest thing to keep stepping forward toward our goals. But when we do, we learn, grow, and discover new things about ourselves and others, including knowing we finished well.

It’s time. Let’s not neglect our goals, projects or tasks when they begin to feel worn or difficult. Instead let’s find new motivation to execute and enhance our lives and memory.

Your #MemoryMakeover homework this week is simple: Let’s go! Take the steps needed today to not only finish but finish well.

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1 thought on “On Finishing Well”

  1. As usual Jill, you’ve given a lot to think about. Finishing projects this time of the year is important. We have lots on our plate and need to take one at a time and follow through. Thanks for your messages. Kathleen Choren

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