We can get attached to the push when the finish line is within sight. The idea of if we just do one more, if we just get it done, it will feel so good. And generally, it does feel really good to get something done. However, sometimes we have pushed to the finish line only to wake up the next day and realize we addressed an email using the wrong name, or the way we ended our paper makes no sense, or we double booked ourselves. Instead of finishing something, we create more work for ourselves because we have to clean something up or undo and redo something.
Pulling away from something when the finish line is in sight is hard. It feels like one is fighting against gravity. It requires just as much energy to pull away as the pull is to finish. And yet, there is great value in taking space away right before finishing, even if it requires us to set our alarm clocks for four in the morning to be able to meet a deadline.
The value is in coming back to the project with a fresh perspective. With an intentional mindset of today, this project will be finished. To not finish something in exhaustion, but to finish something and have the energy to celebrate it. The gift of completing is to admire the results and experience joy and pride. These moments of pleasure and satisfaction are not moments to be rushed. These moments are to be enjoyed; this enjoyment in and of itself is essential to our resilience.
The next time the finish line appears, experiment and approach it differently. And just see if the results aren’t surprising.
