22 July 2008

{unfinished business}

One of my favorite sayings is

The way you do anything is the way you do everything.

And I have always thought that to be very true. If I do something I do it well and to the best of my ability - whether it is writing a thesis, painting a room or washing the dishes. And then I really started to think about it and I looked around at my life and all the bits and pieces of started projects and ideas. What is actually true is that I start with passion, energy and drive and then at some point I either get distracted or bored.

So I am surrounded with unfinished things - a lingerie chest that is half covered in original paint, inspiration binders that are uninspiring and a mess, newly upholstered pillows on the couch still needing snaps. I started to realize that all of this unfinished business was adding to the mental clutter in my head and taking away vital energy needed to move forward.

So, what have I been doing. I've been completing. I made a list of ALL the unfinished things in my life, even the ones stacked away in drawers and hidden in the closets. Just making the list took the load out of my head and made space for clarity and a plan. When new projects and new "To do's" entered my mind, I could immediately assess whether to start working on them or not - and the astounding answer was no. Finish what you started. So the list for now is getting shorter and the feeling of completion is outstanding.

Changing habits takes discipline - everyday. But as I start to see the beneficial affects of these changes, I am re:energized to keep going. So, if my new motto is finish what you start, I'll just have to see what other areas in my life need some completing as well.

1 comment:

  1. such wonderful insights, i identify so much with the pattern you describe and i struggle with not being a "passionate completer" i leave things almost done- or done but not to the best of my ability as I start to get bored with it and hurry to get it done. then it nags at me- taking energy. i find i am passionate about the creative process that comes in the beginning of a project and not so much the detail of finishing the project :)

    ReplyDelete