Finish What You Start

Finish what you start. This is a message that has come up about three times over the last week, and when one idea keeps resurfacing like that, it’s something to pay attention to. For us, it’s especially timely as we’re working hard to complete a project that’s been in the works for two years.

Read it again… Finish what you start.

Reading that, a project you’ve been working on for a while probably popped into your head – that thing you need to finish. We all have one, personal or professional. If nothing came to mind, you might be lucky, OR maybe you’re just not stretching yourself as much as you could be. That’s another topic for another time.

For the rest of us, we each have something we’ve been pouring time and energy into that needs to get done. It’s the “blood, sweat, and tears” thing you’ve been focusing on – the one that all of the other responsibilities and projects keep derailing. It’s the thing you know is important, and has great potential, but is on the back burner while you’re putting out all the fires.

The concept of finishing is an easy thing for us to write about because it captures where we’re at. There’s a project we’ve been working on for the last two years that’s closing in on the finish line. It’s something some of you have seen and experienced, and others have heard about through the grapevine, that we’ve been refining and polishing. From inception to today, we’ve invested our own blood, sweat, and tears into this… and now it’s time to finish what we started.

It’s been a marathon, not a sprint. Most things in our lives that are worthwhile are like that. We’ve had moments where we had to walk, we’ve experienced blisters and pain, and we’ve run through the heat and rain to get to this point. There were many times when we questioned if we’d ever see the finish line and probably a few moments where we wanted to quit. But we kept going.

Keep going. You’ll never “finish what you start” if you quit.

We’ll be able to tell you more about our project in the coming weeks. As much as this message is going to help motivate us to finish our own project, the reality is we wrote this for you.

Yes, you.

You’re reading this right now, and there’s a project that keeps popping into your mind. You know what it is, and as you’ve read our story, you know yours is similar. You’ve questioned if you’d ever get it done, you’ve been distracted and pulled away, and you’ve considered quitting.

The good news? You’re normal.

So, embrace your normal, and reset your sights on the finish line. Maybe you’re close to finishing, or perhaps you’re only halfway there. That’s ok. In either case, today is the day to look back on this project and refocus. Get vulnerable and ask yourself, “Am I still in? Am I still dedicated? Is this something I really want to finish?”

Then, like running that marathon, take the next step. And then the next one. One at a time, keep moving forward, slow or fast. Just keep moving.

Here’s the reality. They don’t give you the t-shirt or the medal until you finish. In other words, the rewards don’t come until AFTER all the hard work. But, it’s the rewards and the views along the way that make the journey to the finish line all worthwhile. The work is hard, continuing on through the challenging parts can be tough, but crossing that finish line is amazing. Don’t stop!

Call-to-Action

If you’re in, and you’re dedicated, then ask yourself the next question, “What do I need to do next?” No matter how big or small your project is, whether it’s at work or home, personal or professional, figure out what your next step is. Then, take it. One foot in front of the other.

Finish what you started!