Finish What You Start

A full 26.2 miles in front of you is a white banner that says, “Finish.” You stand at the starting line of your first marathon. Filled with energy and determination, you wait for the gun to sound. Your hands begin to sweat and you tell yourself one last time, “I can do this.”

POW! The runners around you take off like cattle charging toward the pasture for the first time in spring. Keeping pace with the crowd, you feel great—surely nothing will slow you down!

One hour later…

You pass the seven-mile marker. Your legs feel heavy and your breathing is labored. At mile eight, reality sets in when you feel a sharp pain in your stomach. You think, I have not properly trained for this.

Going back in your mind, you were confident that running a little just one week prior to the marathon would be enough. Now you recognize how much more difficult this is than you anticipated.

Although your determination at the start seemed to be unbreakable, you cannot make it past mile marker 13. Halfway through the race, you put up the white flag of surrender, disappointed you could not finish.

Although we may not be preparing to run a marathon, we can all relate to this scenario. There are certain goals that each of us have set out to accomplish, only to stop short of the finish line. Throughout our homes may be monuments to these failures: an acoustic guitar in a corner that stopped being used when fingertips became too sore. A sketchbook with a box of woodless graphite pencils that gather dust on a bookshelf. A heap of lumber, supplies and a blueprint for a dog house, the beginnings of which are covered in cobwebs in the garage.

How many well-intended ideas have you had that never came through to completion?

Every person on Earth struggles with this issue from time to time. In this fast-paced age, our natural tendency is to be initially excited about an activity, only to lose interest and quit partway through.

Yet you can finish what you start. All it takes is a creative mind, determination, some elbow grease, and a plan to move forward. When approached in the proper way, no task will be too difficult to accomplish!

Create an Attainable Goal

Before embarking on any journey, you need to have a destination, a finish line with a measurable distance from the start—a goal. After all, how can you get anywhere if you do not first know where you are going? Goals come in all different kinds and sizes, from next week’s homework assignment to redecorating your room this summer.

One of the greatest ways to finish what you start is to be excited about what you seek to accomplish. Consider the benefits that goals can bring you, the advantages in completing them and in the process along the way. Create a profitable goal—something you are interested in and is worthwhile to complete. Explore different ideas: building a birdhouse and installing it, reading a 350-page book on an important historical figure, planting a vegetable garden, or working with a parent to repair the family car. Big or small, the possibilities are endless!

Make sure to discuss your ideas with others. Your parents are a good place to start. Sharing your desires and dreams with friends and family allows you to better formulate your plans and to gain much-needed advice on what to do—and what not to do.

Though your thoughts and ideas can be limitless, the realities of life set boundaries that we must stay within. Consider the lofty goal of flying to the moon. When you were younger, you probably thought this was a great idea. But as time passed and you grew in age, you realized this was well outside your capability and resources to accomplish. You must recognize that there is a difference between setting any goal and setting an attainable goal.

The Bible speaks about making reachable goals in Luke 14:28-30. Notice: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sits not down first, and counts the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.”

God wants us to think through our goals before starting down the path of completing them. Set ones that are reachable. This does not mean you should be afraid of working toward long-term accomplishments—mastering a sport, entering a highly skilled profession, writing a book—but you must first “count the cost.”

You can do this by asking: What inspires me? How will this goal benefit me in the future? What difficulties may I face along the way? If the task is necessary but not appealing, how can I become interested?

Taking the time to fully think through your objective will enable you to set a truly reachable goal.

Set Your Will

Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, said, “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re usually right.” In other words, if you do not have the will—the drive—to reach your desired objective, you will not make it. Strive to have the “think you can” mentality from the beginning to complete the task.

Usually, the goals you initiate and set for yourself are automatically exciting. These take little effort to set your will. But what about those you did not set, but are required to complete—such as mowing the lawn, finishing a five-page math assignment, or practicing a speech? As with your own goals, you must complete them, yet they are more difficult to finish because you may not be initially interested in the task. This is where setting your will is key.

There are many responsibilities in life, both large and small, that require setting your will. Ask: “How can I make obtaining this goal fun and exciting?” If you must finish a job anyway, why not be invested in what you are doing? Determine to be wholehearted in your efforts—setting your will not to give up.

Take, for example, writing a research report on the mimic octopus. Although the subject may not be of great excitement at first, and you know it will take a lot of work to complete, find a way to become passionate about the topic—make it come alive in your mind!

Just a little research can reveal that this underwater creature has the ability to morph and change shape, color and texture in an instant, mimicking at least 15 different species of underwater animals including jellyfish, flatfish and stingrays. There are many compelling facts about this one creature that can turn your perception of the project from dry and boring to fun and interesting.

Have a positive outlook on every goal, make it exciting, and it will be much easier to accomplish.

Break It Up

Consider what it takes to learn a musical instrument. No matter your determination, the only way to master the art of playing music is to learn step-by-step and little-by-little. For example, a pianist must first learn where to find the notes on the piano before playing a piece. A trumpeter must understand the mechanics of his horn before creating a pure sound. A cellist must learn how to finely tune his strings before playing in the orchestra.

There is a process—a way to progress decently and in order—to the completion of almost any goal. Take time to properly plan a path.

It may be difficult at the beginning to see how you will go from start to finish. Do not let this discourage you! Stop, take a deep breath, and consider how you can break up the project into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Each baby step you take along the way will bring you much closer to finishing your overall goal. It takes proper preparation to know what these smaller steps should be.

The following are some ideas for breaking up the project into manageable pieces.

Set a schedule and stick to it: Plan a set amount of time each day or week to chip away at your goal. If you are reading a long book, consider reading one chapter every day. After a few weeks, the book will be finished! Breaking it into little steps makes a seemingly impossible task much easier to accomplish.

Set an achievable deadline: In addition to breaking down the project, give yourself a deadline. This will motivate you to work hard as the due date approaches. If you want to build a birdhouse and procrastinate all summer in completing the task, it will not do you any good to finish it in the winter! Selecting a specific day on the calendar will allow you to stay on track and help push you to accomplish the task.

Create a log to record progress: By keeping a list of your accomplished goals, you can more easily see and be motivated by your progress. Post a calendar or task list on your wall or on your desk so it is visible at all times. As you track your progress daily, you will be more motivated to finish what you start!

These ideas are a starting point from which you can begin the process of breaking down a seemingly difficult task into smaller, manageable pieces. Fight the natural urge to try to do it all at once. Take the time to properly plan every step along the way.

Persevere to the End

On the way to accomplishing any well-crafted goal you have set, there will be bumps and detours. As it is with living God’s Way, these trials and tests will forge and build your character. Persevering through the “low points” will make you a better person and give you an even greater feeling of accomplishment when you reach the end.

This is why setting your will is vital. It goes hand-in-hand with perseverance. As you determined in your mind to finish it at the start of your project, you must reaffirm this desire to not give up until the job is complete! There are many opportunities to get discouraged and quit, especially when it gets difficult.

Work hard to get past this feeling of doubt in order to feel the euphoria of accomplishing your goals.

The Finish Line

When setting a goal, think creatively and expansively, yet ensure that it is reachable. Push past your comfort zone and set your mind to see it through to the end. The more you desire to finish, the easier it will be to do so! Create a plan to ensure regular progress is made. Finally, do not give up! In doing so, you will reap the plentiful benefits—the fruits—of finishing what you start.

Mr. David C. Pack’s booklet titled The Laws to Success greatly expands what has been covered in this article. These principles can be applied to any goal you are striving to achieve, making it one of the most beneficial booklets for God’s youth to read, study and apply.

One year later. You again enter a marathon after preparing months in advance. Your experience this time is much different. You pass the 25-mile marker and soon have a feeling of excitement as you see the white finish line ahead. The crowd of onlookers cheer mightily as you near the end. Through proper preparation, setting an attainable goal, and persevering to the end, you cross the finish line. You made it!