Are you a starter or a finisher?
Starter or finisher? Starting a new project almost always feels good. You become invigorated by even the thought of starting something new.
Resolutions, goal setting, and big dreams.
The problem is for many, the bubble bursts easily. They set a goal and then they drop it. Perhaps they are too busy to follow through or they hit a challenge with the goal and quit.
I often open the day on Twitter with a greeting. This morning I said this, “Good morning! First work day (for me anyway) of the new year! How are you going to make this year fantastic?”
Michelle who tweets as @NLCajax responded with: “Good morning, Julie! I’m still enjoying holidays for 2 more days – reading goal setting inspiration right now. :)”
I answered her: “Glad to hear it. I plant to make reading in general something I do more this year. Hope your day is wonderful!”
She replied: “Thanks Julie! Hope your first day back to work is fabulous! Happy reading – what will be your first book?”
I realized I don’t know which book I will read.
I started so many books in the past year and finished very few of them. My goal is to finish them, one at a time.
Allocate time for reading full books, not just blog posts and information on my computer.
Be a finisher: Visualize completing your goal
Many of us set goals like reading, losing weight, or getting organized, but never follow through.
Perhaps we need to visualize ourselves completing the goal however which makes it easier to keep moving toward it. Be a finisher.
Serious athletes set goals and strive to achieve them. Olympic gold medal winner, Joe Jacobi, often speaks of working toward:
Consistency and patience in our practice anchor a culture where we compassionately place ourselves ahead of our challenges. Turning inward, not out, for a few minutes with no comparison to someone more accomplished or judgment about yourself, IS the seed to plant every day.
I wrote a series of posts beginning with this one: You have to Start to Finish. I had forgotten the title until I looked for it just now. How coincidental that my mind is thinking the same way as it did last January.
I reached some of my goals last year but not the ones I thought I would. This year I don’t want to just set goals. I want it to be the year I finish them. How about you? Will you be a finisher?
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Cheers Julie 🙂
Good point, Mark… but some people only start. Maybe I should have put in a both category.
One problem a lot of people find with finishing long-term goals is that they become mundane. Even if the goal is broken up into more manageable pieces, doing the same thing to reach that larger goal loses its luster. The trick, then, is to keep the excitement going — sometimes switching up the activity you do to achieve the goal can help, but it still remains a challenge.
Definitely a good topic to think about… Thanks for writing about it, Julie!
Thanks, Melissa. I think visualizing the end of each step not necessarily the final goal if the goal is massive is the key.