Finish What You Start
Tie Up Loose Ends and Move Forward.
Go through the motions.
We live in a time where instant gratification has become the norm for the majority of society. Vices are abundant and readily available at every corner. Pick your poison and you can get it within the hour. Drinking, smoking, drugs, porn, fast food, caffeine, hollow relationships, TV, video games, scrolling… the list goes on.
In a world where everything is at our fingertips, the value of a reward and the gratitude that comes with earning it is thrown completely out the window. Instead of using technology and new inventions to our benefit, most just choose to sedate themselves instead. When comfort is too ingrained in every facet of life, the will to go above and beyond gets crushed.
Why put in the extra effort? Why have any patience? Why complete the mission?
When the path of least resistance is available, it’s almost always taken. Sure, there are definitely times to relax, unwind, let loose, etc. There are even highly functioning and very successful addicts who abuse vices. You don’t have to renounce everything and live in silence as a monk in the woods. You also don’t have to abuse bad habits because they’re easy to access and promoted by the majority of people you come across.
There’s a lot of power that comes with being able to say “no” to things. Being able to delay small rewards for the real treasures. By passing up the easy fix, we build up more energy and momentum to hit those big milestones at a quicker pace. Day to day life flows better as we don’t have to rely on any substances to take action and get things done.
Instead of constantly trying to fill the void with outside stimulus, sit there with your own thoughts for awhile. Determine what needs to be done and let your mind come up with the right answers.
Use boredom as a way to strengthen yourself mentally and learn to fill in the gaps in your day productively instead of defaulting to cheap vices every time you have a spare minute. Get the right things done so you can build momentum. The more you step into the arena, the faster you’ll reach new levels. Keep moving forward with your mission.
Create your own incentives.
History is littered with forgotten losers. Unwritten legacies buried under piles of unfinished projects and chronic lethargy. There isn’t much motivation from society to do great things. We’re prompted to stay in between the lines, do a bit of work to get by, fit in with the crowd and use our spare time to indulge in pleasure.
The few that flip the switch and live on their own terms usually have a heavy sense of purpose and an internal vision that drives them. Doing it for their mission or their loved ones that need support, they go above and beyond without being asked.
The validation they need comes from within. The drive and ambition to put the gears in motion and build something worthwhile comes from within. Outside sources, cheap pleasure and “breaking news” become distractions instead “fun” or “informative” sources that compliment life. Focusing on our own lives and those we care for makes the path much clearer.
Understand what moves you. Figure out a blueprint that rewards you with the right incentives for your actions. Realize that delaying the lower forms of gratification will enable you to pour your time and energy into the mission in order to reap a much bigger harvest down the line.
Cheap pleasures aren’t going away anytime soon. Try to cut them out of your day to day life as much as possible and focus on the bigger picture. Moderate as best as you can. Everyone has a different tolerance level and reaction to different substances at different doses. Create the right formula by starting back at baseline and toughing it out as long as you can.
The high you get from real achievement becomes unmatched.
As we slowly replace bad habits with better ones, we start to feel a sense of accomplishment from slowly stacking achievements along the way. It’s important to note that you should be present in the moment and self aware enough to understand that Rome wasn’t built in a day.
You’ll never be perfect but you can always be better. Start small and get consistent. Work your way up to bigger projects and harder challenges. Increase volume and quality. Gain more knowledge and experience to increase efficiency. Become competent and effective by cementing the foundations. Connect the dots over time and add your own spin to things. You won’t even want to halt your progress after awhile. Reaching new levels and getting better at the things you really care about becomes the reward.
Once the ball starts rolling there’s a tendency to regret past mistakes and time wasted. Don’t indulge in these thoughts for long. Use them as fuel to put your best foot forward now in this moment. Regretting the past won’t change your current situation. Worrying about the future won’t improve it either. Take action and walk the path.
Stack small wins. Stay in motion. Tie up loose ends and think about what your ideal life looks like moving forward.
Analyze those dreams and ideas you’ve been putting off. Start thinking about how to make them real. Create a plan and implement it without looking back and watch what starts to happen.
Hold yourself accountable.
Finish the things that you say you will.
Accumulate wins and use momentum to reach new heights.
Move forward your way.