Do you finish what you start? So many students get close to the end of a project and don’t finish it. Homework assignments get tossed aside and incomplete. They land at the bottom of a book bag or locker. Unless someone pushes the student, things slip. Going to school helps us be better people and to learn the fine art of self development.
Business people often start doing community projects and then disappear half way through. They get on committees, but aren’t the worker bees that show up regularly. Students start on a team, but lose interest and fall out of the practice; everyone on the team has to compensate. We can’t be quitters!
So this photo of a Graduation Card shows a dog standing so powerfully and with pride. We too can feel this success.
What is happening that gives people permission to quit?
Well the people who start a project and don’t finish them lose momentum, joy, and self esteem. They never get to participate in the “success” part. They don’t get to the final degree, diploma, or award. They lose friends and develop a reputation of being a quitter.
Parents often let kids off the hook. Some adults do not see the benefit of pushing kids to finish projects or homework. Perhaps they don’t care about the money already invested? Perchance the parents are not finishers either? But let me tell you that parents will feel better too when they see their off springs complete the things they start.
Good habits must start early.
If a child starts whining or decides they don’t like some aspect of the project; what happens? Who and how will the adults in charge react?
Maybe the teacher is too hard; what then? Does this mean we agree and let kids off the hook?
Maybe the time to attend each week takes away from something else they’d rather do? Evaluating how time is spent helps.
Maybe there is a pattern developing in our community! One family lets their child slip by and suddenly it others gives others permission to follow. Coming regularly and following through is one of the best ways for success to develop.
Going the full measure teaches us to be reliable. All of us need to learn to be responsible. Not everything in life can be quit. Eventually we must be self sufficient and maintain a level of independence in our work and with our families. People battling a disease often feel empowered by the opportunity to get through the treatments and kick the illness.
To every student about to graduate from a program, please finish the work. Push the little extra to end with a bang! Come to the graduation. Be there for your family, for your peers, and for yourself. You probably will not understand for a long time the relevance of doing so. Remember no one who started driving got a license if they quit. You don’t want to look back with regret. CLOSURE FEELS GOOD! Start now to put a dot at the end. It’s never too late. Once something is closed properly, a new chapter can begin.
Graduating from school, a job, or a profession is empowering. One feels accomplished especially when they pursue something to the end. Whether it is struggling through academics or earning money in a job we hate, finishing gives us internal power. It is the “story of completion” that helps make us who we become. It is easy to bail when things are rough, but following through creates wonderful attitudes and healthy people.
It is like learning a sport. Practice may take time, but along the way, skills are refined. Trying to attain any skill that is hard may be challenging, but finishing with the team, lessons or helping out friends is affirming. The results may not be obvious now, but being persevering is a great attribute.
I have friends from a group I studied with 30 years ago. We are all in different occupations and I don’t see them all the time. Still my heart jumps for joy when I run into them. We were supportive of one another then and still are in a different way. Staying the course is important. Keeping contacts and being accountable to one another is comforting.
The process of working hard at everything helps one to understand their own values. One learns to think for and to take pride in what they do. People feel better when they walk the whole length of the path. Even though the pot of gold may be at the end of the rainbow, it can be beautiful along the way.
Success comes to us by trying new things and putting closure on the past event. We provide a new beginning for ourselves. Peace for the day, “Delight in Living!”