It's FINALLY Friday and you're finished with what seemed like the longest week ever! Doesn't it feel great to be finished with this week to give you a chance to relax for a bit before conquering another one? If you're feeling accomplished just by completing a regular week, imagine how you'd feel if you accomplished a personal goal... (Let's enjoy the tranquility of that thought for a moment... Ahhhh... Yeaa... that's awesome huh? Okay, back to reality!)
I'm sure you've heard of the "second wind." It's when you've exhausted all of your energy and you feel as if you can't go on, and then you suddenly get a burst of energy that changes the game completely. You're on the course, giving it your all. Your legs are wobbly, but you continue to push yourself. On one hand, you want to make a quick turn and head to your vehicle, never to return again. Then, an invisible switch flips, and your legs begin to control themselves right across this finish line. BAM! You've just qualified to compete for a larger prize! No, you didn't come in first place (or maybe you did), but you finished the race and qualified for a greater reward. (Ahhh... now that feels much better than just getting through a week... Look behind you... Yep, those are quitters sneaking off to their vehicles. I know it's just a short distance to the finish line, but they couldn't do it. Yes, they all realize that the only qualification for the next level is to simply finish... Look at you being a winner! Okay... Reality time again...)
This can also happen spiritually when working towards a goal. We get bored with the routine of going to class, so we start to skip classes. It's too cold or too rainy, so we'll just email an excuse to our professor. Our kids are too small and we don't want to leave them with a sitter, so we put our dreams on hold. Before we know it, we've missed too many classes to pass, or our kids are teenagers, and we still haven't finished our goal. To top it all off, we hate our jobs (and bosses and coworkers) and we don't have time to sew a dress, write a book, or paint a picture. Now we're depressed and we feel so unaccomplished. We have so many years of experience, but no one will hire us... because we didn't finish what we started... Therefore, the companies don't feel confident that we will be reliable employees.
The Greatness in Finishing is that you feel great, you exemplify dependability, you set an example for our future leaders (our youth), and you qualify yourself to receive the rewards of the next level. I put my dreams on hold to raise my kids. I had one year of college left, but I didn't want to miss a second with my babies. I accepted a job and dealt with its drama because it was a check.... and, that's all it was, too... Just a check...
Several years later, I finally finished my degree, and my life changed. Holding my degree was as if I was literally hold the key to endless possibilities. I could replace "currently pursuing my Bachelor's degree" on my resume' to "degree obtained." I would no longer be placed in the "disqualified" pile. I was in the running with the other candidates. When I finished writing "Jane's Precious Jewel" and self-published it, I was no longer an "aspiring author." I am now an Amazon Best Selling author, simply because I finished and made time to work on next-level goals.
You see, finishing one goal doesn't leave you set for life. It prepares you to receive greater than you ever imagined. Initially, your biggest dream was to finish your level 1 goal. What if I told you that there are so many more levels or dimensions as you progress? Good job on finishing med school, nursing school, clinicals, etc. Now it's time to become the director of a medical facility or even the owner of a private practice. The greatness in finishing is that you are now qualified to achieve greater.
What have you been working on for months or years to no avail? What do you need to finish? What's stopping you from finishing? If F.E.A.R. is blocking you, you should refer to my October 31st blog (even if it's not, refer to that blog anyway). You will be amazed at how quickly you'll finish if you'd just start again... When will you unlock your greatness? When will you finish?