"It always seems impossible until it’s done." ~Nelson Mandela

Finish what you Start

These four words can help you reach your goals...

Faith - Focus - Finish - Fun

I've shared how Faith and Focus can help you achieve your goals. Now let's talk about Finish

Faith is the beginning of your journey. To obtain anything you must at least believe that you can achieve it.

Once you believe it, you must focus on that goal to achieve it.  This is where the action is important.

Sometimes reaching our goal is harder than we expected. We face obstacles that seem insurmountable and make us doubt ourselves. But as Steve Harvey says, “You have survived every bad day so far with a 100% success rate.”

Which leads to finishing:

How many things have you started in the past and did not finish?  Do you have that honey-do list waiting for you?  That DIY project, you’ve meant to get to.  That savings goal you have not met.  The date night you have not scheduled.  That vacation of your dreams you have not planned.

It is no secret most things we start we do not finish.  Just look around you, walk through your home and you will find evidence.  

There are so many reasons for this to occur.  The kids' activities, our activities, we have to sleep, eat, and work. Many people have studied this concept.  Some of the things they find.  Most people stop because of knowledge.  They simply don’t know what to do.  We, humans, are experts at procrastination.  Why do today what can be done tomorrow?  A friend of mine would say, I plan today. so I can do it tomorrow.

Sometimes things are hard and we don’t enjoy hard. I used to say, I wish things were a little easier. Until I heard a quote from Jim Rohn that said,

"Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom."

Let that sink in for a moment.

This reminds me of my High School football days.  It was the summer before my Senior year and I decided to work out that summer.  Coaches encouraged us to work out every summer but I waited until my last year to do it.  I didn’t just work out in the weight room and get on the track.  I also watched old football games in high school and college.  I paid attention during NFL preseason games and watched people that played my position. I was a strong safety.  

I distinctly remember how easy that year was for me.  I was even recruited by a few colleges from the film my teammates were sending to get recruited.  I chose not to play anymore but I could have.

On the first day of 3-a-day practice, we had to run the mile. Most of the team only had 2-a-day practice, but I was on both first string defense and second string offense. There were only 8 of us who had to do 3-a-day practice. They nicknamed us mad dogs, after our mascot, the bulldog. I ran the mile faster and easier than ever before. I didn’t train for the mile during the summer, but I did some track work. Even after the 3-a-day practice, I felt energetic.

I paid closer attention to my keys when we watched a film with the other team. The game was slower, at least it felt like it. I can see plays develop before they happened. The game slowed down. I remember watching a film after our game and seeing people attempt to block me and they just fell off me.  I didn’t even realize during the game it was happening.  I set personal records for tackles, sacks, deflections, and tackles for a loss.  I remember my coach saying had if I got one interception I would have received district and regional recognition.  But he said, “I was looking at the film and quarterbacks never really threw your way.  You had your person covered”.  

My point is: The game didn’t get easier… I got better… Sure some of it may have been experience but experience does not make you run faster, deflect blocks without knowing it, or able to detect plays before they start based on the lineup and the direction the quarterback looks. I got better.

To achieve this task of building a legacy that lasts you will need to get better.  There is no way around it.  The first thing you need to get better at is finishing what you start.

As motivational speaker Les Brown Says,

"It’s not over until you win! Your dream is possible!". 

Many people stop before making it to their goal. I’ve been there.  I still find myself doing it from time to time.  Again, we are not about perfection we are about action.  

If you study anyone that has achieved success, they all have this quality of not quitting.  They may pivot but they continue the journey until they succeed.  The finish may not look like what you envisioned at the beginning but who cares.  The only person it should matter to is you.

To achieve your goals you must:

• Believe in yourself (Faith)

• Be intentional on achieving the goal (Focus)

• Don’t quit until you win (Finish)

• Enjoy the journey along the way (Fun)

Until Next Time...

Major