There is one strategy that can,
above all others, help you to be more successful. Some people adopt this
strategy early, for others it is learned as they go through life. But the
people who never learn it don’t become successful at all.
If you were to look at a cross-section
of young adults, you could tell, by how well they were integrating the strategy
into their lives, which ones would go on to become highly successful, which
would lead average lives, and which would struggle just to make ends meet.
This strategy is to finish whatyou start. Some call it grit or tenacity or stick-to-it-aliveness. But calling it
by those names makes it seem like it is a trait that you either have or don’t,
and not like a skill that you can develop.
Becoming a Finisher
When I was younger, I used to
flit between interests and rarely finished what I started. Starting as a kid
with half-built tree forts, it later became half-finished business ideas and
half-finished products. I was great at starting things, but never finishing
them.
I got so frustrated at myself for
this lack of finishing, that I decided to build a new habit: finishing
everything I started. That meant finishing books I thought were boring. That
meant finishing thirty-day trials, when I had already decided I wasn’t going to
continue the habit. That meant finishing projects that were already obsolete.
And it worked. I probably
complete 80-90% of the projects I set out with, including ones that are lengthy
and challenging. It’s not because I’m consistently motivated to do them (there
were plenty of moments I wanted to quit during the MIT Challenge or Year without
English) but because I have a habit of finishing what I start.
Assess Your Current
Projects
Take a long, hard look at all
your current works-in-progress. If your writing life looks anything like mine,
you might well need to grab a sheet of paper and make a list – you may even
want to hunt through your desk drawers or your computer’s folders.
Is there anything that’s just not
worth completing? Maybe the novel you started ten years ago isn’t the one you
want to write now. Maybe that blog post draft was never going to go anywhere.
Unconscious Negative
Self-Talk
Perhaps you talk yourself out of
trying. You may be unconsciously listening to the negative chatter that's
actually a normal part of right prefrontal lobe functioning. If you think that
could be the case, try this:
Write down every reason you don't
want to complete your project, and make a second list of every reason you do.
Mindfully observe both lists and listen to your intuitive voice. Ask yourself:
"What do I really want to do? Do I really want to complete this project?
Will it enhance my life if I complete it?
Ask yourself: "Are these negative thoughts and feelings
valid?"
I think you'll find that most of
the time, they are not. Having negative thoughts on a piece of paper gives them
less power over your brain. When you aren't ruminating on negative thoughts,
your brain is free to pursue goals that promise useful valuable rewards and
outcomes.
Build up your ability
to complete things
Each time you carry a task
through to completion your “complete it” muscle becomes a little stronger.
Practice with small tasks first. Start the task, stick to it, and complete it.
Mark the completion in some manner like dusting off your hands or by crossing
the item off your list. Let your brain know that now you are the type of person
who completes tasks.
By practicing completing small
tasks, even as short as ten minutes in duration, you are building your
“complete it” muscle. And the stronger that it gets, the longer you are able to
stick with a task to complete it. Become the type of person who can complete
small tasks, and soon you will become the type of person who completes large
projects.
Watch, read, or listen
to something inspiring
When you need a dose of
motivation and inspiration, a movie, quote, book, or video can get you amped up
at a moment’s notice. These are your
“health potions.” Come on, it’s impossible
to watch this or this or this and not want to run through a brick wall to
accomplish your goals. We’re actually in
the process of building a pretty killer (and free) resource for NF rebels that
need a Willpower Potion occasionally.
Stay tuned
How do you manage to actually
follow through with things you’ve started?
