Finish What You Start

Action is the normal completion of the act of will which begins as prayer. That action is not always external, but it is always some kind of effective energy. ~ Dean Inge

There are doers; there are procrastinators; there are finishers; and there are those who's entire life is surrounded by things left uncompleted. Do you finish what you start?

If you have piles of clothing on the floor of your bedroom, unopened mail in stacks on the counter in your kitchen, bags of clothing in the trunk of your car waiting to be returned to the store, and hundreds of unread emails in your Inbox, what do all these things have in common? That's right. They were all begun, but none of them was completed.

You may say "But I know where everything is in all that chaos." You may think "It's not bothering me." I beg to set my self at odds with you: I believe it does tug at you. I think your mind is busily keeping track of all those things not completed, and will nag at you - either gently or perhaps not-so-gently! - to constantly remind you that you have unfinished business. The nagging can also erode your self-confidence if you go to the thought that you've failed to finish what you started.

Not only do your uncompleted tasks take a mental toll on you, they also can affect your purse. If you are a crafter who purchases the materials for the projects that are left there uncompleted, you could invest considerable monies that just sit there and rot. Money spent on an incomplete project is not a wise use of money. If some of the email or regular mail you haven't opened contain bills, you will add late payment fees. When you don't open your Bank Statement and reconcile it, you can get into an overdrawn situation and the overdrawn fees will take a chunk out of your monies.

You may think in your heart of hearts that you have valid reasons for why you have a tendency to leave things incomplete. You may think your excuses are totally acceptable. You may bristle when someone else does not accept the reasons you offer for continuing to leave things incomplete. If you want to overcome this bad habit - the one that creates inner nagging and fiscal problems - first you have to want to get over it and stop making excuses.

Whatever the real reason is for why you formed this habit, it doesn't matter. You may have some fear going about criticism regarding not being good enough in the eyes of another. You may find the projects seriously overwhelming. You may think you don't have enough time. Take a look inside and see what is making you leave things incomplete. Regardless of the reason, you CAN form a new habit.

Here are some tips to help you get past this paralyzing condition:

Take it to the limit. Let yourself look mentally where continuing in this incomplete habit will end up.

Break it into small chunks. A wee bit each day will whittle down the pile and not overwhelm.

Promise yourself a gift. This will help provide the motivation to begin and to persevere.

Ask a friend to help. When someone else is looking in, that provides motivation and good advice.

Entertain yourself. Turn on music or the TV to keep you company.

Successful people are doers, accomplishers, finishers. They don't always "feel like it," but they always come back to it and get things done - or, they might pay someone else to do what needs doing. Ask yourself what steps you need to take to create a happy, successful ending for yourself. Here's my salute to you for Being the Change and to finish what you start.