Is the glass half-empty or half-full? The purpose of the question is to delve into one’s philosophical view on life. Half-empty: The person leans toward a negative outlook. Half-full: The person has a more positive mindset. But allow me to offer another perspective – the glass of water is unfinished. A task was started but not completed. Either someone didn’t finish pouring or someone didn’t finish drinking!
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is START. You have so many ideas. There are numerous ways to approach a task and you don’t know where to begin. But then…you choose a path and you START. After that, the second hardest thing to do is FINISH!
Imagine several glasses with water at the half-way mark. Every glass represents the different tasks or projects that you have in progress right now. It could be a design you’re working on, the opening pages of a business plan, or even a book that you started reading. You’ve had items lingering for some time now and you probably started a few more this week. How ambitious of you! When will you cross stuff off the list? When will you start to finish?
Maybe this is not your life at all. Perhaps you accomplish everything you set out to do on a daily basis without fail. Good for you! (Share your magical powers in the comments section.) For those of us with a more unfinished life, please consider: How you finish is more important than how you start.
Why is finishing so important?
- You build a track record of accomplishments.You prove to yourself and to others that you can finish what you start. Every achievement becomes a confidence boost to set your sights higher.
- Completing one thing allows you to start something else. Multi-tasking is necessary sometimes but highly overrated. Not everything can be done in parallel. Some doors have to close before other doors can open.
- You get to enjoy what’s beyond the finish line.It may be a prize, accolades or just peace of mind that you no longer have to expend mental energy on that one task any more. Reward yourself at the end!
We’re approaching the half-way mark of 2017. It’s a great time to do a progress report on the goals you set at the top of the year. If you’ve made a good start on all of them, that’s wonderful! That means there’s some water in the glasses. When will you finish?
Question: What is your #1 tip for getting things done?
INK WELL SPOKEN
“Endowing Your Worth with the Power of Words”
