Finish /ˈfɪnɪʃ/
To bring something to a conclusion; to complete a task; an ending; the finer details that give something character or make it stand out.
A week of crossing finish lines. Not on the same scale as 2014, returning from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, but satisfying conclusions in their own way. A book completed, letters and emails sent, weekly records updated, all adding to the forward motion. But forward motion demands that each conclusion signals the start of a new journey. From one book, one week, one commitment to the next.
Clients change their minds, set and adjust their own goals, that’s the natural way of things. Working at the personal level can be frustrating at times when goalposts move, but accepting that I move my own goalposts too is at the heart of dealing with this. The reality is that goals must be flexible as the world around you changes, and I’ve done my fair share of changing in the past year or two as many have. Call it a pivot, re-evaluation of options or a refocus, call it what you want, there’s nothing so predictable as unpredictability.
So, while the week has been one of crossing finish lines, it’s also one of starting new projects. For the client, a clarification of where we’re heading, and setting off to achieve new goals – what’s not exciting about that? For me, starting a new writing project alongside those as yet unfinished and beyond those completed. There’s inspiration in new goal and new approaches, and one project can reignite enthusiasm for others.
Seven years ago, on completing the trek to and from the top of the world, we were left tired but inspired to do more. So it is with these ‘lesser’ finish lines. Next week always brings more of the everyday, more challenges, but possibilities too. Possibilities to not just complete but to finish. To take that extra step that transforms the everyday into something closer to perfection.
International-Eyes.org 