Over the past few days, I've realised how cyclic life really is and that everything we do follows the same process of - start, maintain and finish. Everything we touch follows this - our relationships, our daily tasks, the housework, getting from A to B, the crops our farmers grow - everything.
After realising that I am a great advocate for starting, but not necessarily that great on maintaining or finishing, I've been on a mission to finish some of the projects I had started some time ago in preparation for the new start that my family and I are about to embark on.
Being a great starter means that over time I've acquired a collection of projects that I was so excited to begin and so I did with feverish excitement and that wonderful feeling of adrenalin shooting through my veins. However something happened after starting them - either I ran out of steam, my vision wasn't big enough or I wasn't clear on the outcome I actually wanted. Therefore because I didn't have a plan of attack to maintain the project, many of them never actually got finished.
And it's not just one area of my life that this has affected, it's influenced many. I was in the shower the other day and saw that between my partner and I, we have 4 half-used bottles of shower gel, 3 different kinds of shampoo & conditioner and 4 various body scrubbers. Then I went and checked out the pantry - I won't even go into details of what's happening in there! Seeing this got me thinking.....
There's a reason why so many people start diets and never finish them. There's a reason that many buildings begin the construction phase, yet never reach completion (and it's not just money!). As a society, we are great at starting things. New things are constantly thrown in our faces by advertisers and marketers and we're often trying out the next best thing before we have completed yesterday's "next best thing".
What is lacking the most is vision; having the ability to see the end result before you begin. When you know the end result you are aiming for, it makes it easier to work backwards and take manageable steps towards achieving your vision. Starting is great, I'm all for it. I love the new. However having a solid plan of attack for how you will maintain and eventually finish is probably even more important.When a farmer plants his crop, he knows that the seed he is planting will bring him produce to harvest and sell to produce an income for himself and his family. He knows the process down pat.
Let's go back to the diet concept for a minute. Most people do not succeed at these because they don't know how to maintain them. Many diets promise fast results and when these are not achieved, hope can be lost and many give up. But what if you had a plan of how you would maintain a healthy eating and fitness regime? What if you scheduled in time every day to take care of your body by exercising? What if you sat down and worked out your meal plans for the week so you had a clear picture of what the week would be like instead of getting to a meal and then grabbing the most convenient form of food available? What if you thought about how you want to feel when you've followed this plan for a month, two months, six months and can feel the benefits of maintaining your regime?
As I am finishing and completing tasks, I feel I am clearing the way to bring the new into our lives. As I am finishing I also get a real sense of completion and accomplishment and that things won't be hanging over my head.
My challenge to you is to take a helicopter ride over your life and see what you're great at and where you can improve.
* What do you need to start in order to move forward?
* What areas do you need to get good at maintaining?
* What can you finish today to give you a sense of satisfaction for completion?
I'd love to hear what it is for you!
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