The Power of Finishing

Hey it’s Maria’s and I’ve been thinking a lot about the Power of Finishing.

So many people know how to start. There are whole books devoted to starting like The Art of the Start. People say I’m going to become an entrepreneur, I’m just beginning this, I’m beginning that, but not a lot of people are talking about finishing things. Or the art of finishing strong.

So I meet people and they may have started 52 projects in a year. Every single week they’re doing something new, something different. But it’s rare that I meet someone who talks about the things that they just completed, the things that they’ve finished. What they got done.

And here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter how many things that you start. It matters how many things that you finish. So why not pick one thing — just one thing — to start and finish in 2018.

Whether it’s completing a product. Whatever it happens to be. Whatever it happens to be Whether it’s getting really awesome at your marketing and dialing that it.

And maybe when you finished that you can think about the next thing and then the next thing and then the next thing.

But when people get into trouble as they start this and that and this and that and onwards and onwards and onwards and they don’t finish any of that.

But who cares how much you start? It really doesn’t matter, it matters what you finish.

So I really encourage you to make the leap from being a Quick Start to being a Quick Finish, because when you finish something you learn so much.

You gotta to know when to walk away from the canvas. Someone like Picasso, a famous artist who produced thousands and thousands and thousands of works of art, he knew when to walk away.

It’s so tempting for someone to keep going and working and working and working on the same thing for a long time and not wanting to finish.

Because when you finish, well, guess what? Then all of a sudden you have to release it into the world. You got to let go of it. And when you let go of it then all of a sudden fears come up — the fear of failure, the fear of being judged, maybe even the fear of success.

So it’s easier to keep working on something and working on something and working on something and getting it just right, then it is to finish it and put it out into the world sometimes. Because once you put it out into the world, it’s no longer yours. It came from you, it passed through you. But now it’s what the world makes of it.

So many people, they delay that last step of finishing it and sending it out into the world. Because that step feels scary. That step feels unknown.

But what is known is just being continue to tinker and to work and to finesse and to fuss over this thing.

So I encourage you, not to become the kind of person that starts a million things, but the kind of person who finishes a handful of things. And to practice finishing before you move on to the next thing and the next.

And, before you know it, you may be able to finish a whole lot in a particular year. But it’s all about focus: Focus on one thing and then the next thing and then the next thing. You may have a few things going on simultaneously, but bring them to the finish line before you start more and add to it. Or it’s like this giant game of Jenga where you’re putting the stick on top of the stick on top of the stick and it’s this balancing act and sooner or later it’s going to fall.

When you finished stuff, it’s a whole different world. The beauty of finishing is that you get to see the result of your effort. You get to see people interacting and engaging with what you’ve just created. You get to see the impact that you’re making on their lives, which you can’t do if all you do is start.

So today I challenge you to leave a note in the comments and let me know what’s one thing that you’re going to finish — this month. One thing you’re going to finish, and then — once you do — how are you going to reward yourself with the next thing that you want to do? Because you can create a ton of stuff, a mountain of stuff, when you practice finishing and not just starting.

If you’re just starting it’s kind of like getting on a boat and sailing without a destination. And finishing means that you’ve landed. You’ve arrived.

So every time you start, know what it looks like to finish. And when you do, you can really close the loop on all of those things and have the great pleasure and fulfillment that comes from arriving at your destination. Of landing.

So go out there and Live Your Message!