The Value of Finishing

Do you find yourself with lots of unfinished projects? Not stories you’ve cast aside and forgotten, but those ideas you’ve never truly let go. We all have goals we begin with great enthusiasm and promise, falter, and promise ourselves we’ll finish. Creative whisperings imprisoned in our hopes and longings. Someday. One day… If you have possibilities swirling in your imagination or haunting your dreams that aren’t moving forward, I invite you now explore the value of finishing.

Make a List

1) Define finishing for yourself

For example:

Writing the rough draft to the end
Holding the final draft
Seeing the story published

2) List those projects you’ve started and haven’t finished

Face the Facts

3) Now, face the facts about each project you haven’t finished. Reconsider each one in light of your life now. Ask yourself why you’re holding on to each item on your list. Why haven’t you finished? What’s keeping you stuck and feeling trapped?

Declutter

Consciously giving up on something brings closure.

4) Cross out those on your list that are simple to let go of. Below are examples of what you may feel as you release ideas you’ve been holding on to.

For example:

Realistically I’ll never have the time or the drive to finish this one
I really wish I’ll do this one but I know myself well enough that I won’t
In truth this idea isn’t what I once thought it was
Every time I think about this one, I
- get sick to my stomach
- feel troubled, stressed, unhappy, unqualified

Letting go frees up energy for that which you’re passionate. You feel lighter.

Taking a creative endeavor from inception all the way to completion honors the cycle of the Universal Story. Every time you finish what you begin, you reinforce a positive pattern in your life. For each story you finish according to your definition of finishing, you set yourself up to accomplish an even greater and more important story next. Finish and you prove you can follow through and stay true to your dreams.

5) Circle those that excite you and that you have the power, the passion, and the time to finish

6) Star that one that you are willing and ready to take full responsibility for finishing