Internet Coffee

“Finish strong.” I’ve heard those words quite frequently in my life in one capacity or other. Everything from singing in a choir/chorus to being a Christian. In everything we should endeavor to finish strong.

*Side eyes the TBR pile*

But what if you’ve never been told to finish strong? How might one go about such things? Well, I’m glad you asked. (Or maybe you didn’t, but you’re looking for something entertaining and slightly educational to occupy the next 5 minutes as you scroll meaningfully on your mobile device. In that case…. I’m happy to oblige.)

Step 1: Starting

“Start at the beginning, and when you come to the end, stop.”

Famous words from author Lewis Carroll, and aptly put. You must start somewhere. In writing, we begin “en medias res” – meaning in the beginning of the plot. Which is a great way to hook your audience. However, it is not best when you want to make it to the end.

Unfortunately, we can’t start in the middle of a journey. We have to take our first steps. Life isn’t a pool with multiple depth levels where you can simply choose to dive in. Sometimes, we have to wade in, making silly faces until our bodies adjust to the coolmess of the waters.

Yes, it is uncomfortable. Most beginnings are. But you cannot finish strong if you never start.

Step 1.5: Milestones

Wait, there’s a step 1.5? This is going to take foooorrreeeevvveeerrr…..

Not really. Just hang with me for a sec.

A good place to start is with mapping. You’ve just become a pirate! Arrg! Give this guy an eyepatch!

Slightly more serious… chart out your course. Where do you aim to *realistically* end? How can you break that into edible bites? You can’t eat the entire tray of lasagna in one bite. You have to cut it and eat it in smaller portions. This is how you make your journey achievable.

Map it out. Set up your big goals, then create sub-goals.

Want to read 30 books a year?
Okay, how many is that broken into months?
How many a week?
How many chapters a day?

This is your map.

Step 2: The High Seas

This is the hard part.

B-but you shouldn’t say that! If it’s hard, people won’t want to do it!

You’re 100% correct. People won’t. But some will.

You’re sailing the high seas of commitment in the sub-zero waters of the north. There’s going to be storms. There’s going to be windless days. There’s going to be icebergs.

Now, in an effort to NOT end up like the Titanic at the bottom of the sea, *you have to take action*. You have to grab the helm, an oar, the rigging – something to maneuver the ship. It’s going to be *hard*. It’s going to take *work*.

Want to know a secret? –Hard work isn’t bad.-

Let me say that again, hard work isn’t bad. In fact, it can be very good! This is where you labor. You read those individual chapters, slowly ticking off each one. Then each book. Then a few.

Now let’s say this, it can be fun. Enjoyable. That chapter was thrilling, that book was gripping, the ending was perfectly executed!

OR

You’re working out. It’s been two weeks of continuous training. Today you’re up and full of energy! You’re feeling the beginnings of something. Your trainer is celebrating the small triumphs with you and pushing you on.

This is the high seas.

Step 3: Drought

Yep. It comes. The book gets boring (or it’s about the ocean). The diet goes bland and repetitive. The scale plateaus. That marathon has you thirsty and gross. The gruel has no fat and scurvy has set in, along with seasickness.

Basically, it’s been a few weeks since you’ve felt like there’s been any victories. It’s here where motivation wanes and you begin to look back and reconsider the entire journey. You want to bargain and cross off the final third of your list.

Here is where those people quit. Like the Isrealites in the wilderness, they want to return to Egypt because *maybe* it wasn’t so bad to be a slave in Egypt. (It was. FYI. It definitely was.)

So what do we do?

We dance!

Wait, what? Okay, again, hear me out.

It’s not about making light of the hard work. It’s about acknowledging *how hard the work is*. You’ve been staring holes into your list of goals for weeks/months and you’re tired. Here’s where you plant the flowers.

You put the weights down and pick up the battle ropes. You put the book down and buy the audiobook (NOT THE MOVIE). You put on Zombies, Run! and pretend it’s the apocalypse.

Switching things up when the drought comes is vital. You’re still making progress but in a new way. You have to renew the mind to keep the spirit afloat, and keeping the spirit afloat keeps the body energized to….

Step 4: Finish Strong

This is it. The final stretch. This is the part of the song that everyone remembers. The intro hooked them and now the ending HAS to tie off those loose ends with a bit of flare.

Remember how I mentioned being “en medias res”? Well, while the middle is the meat of the story and certainly vitally important (remember this is where the hard work and drought happened), people usually won’t recall every minute detail. They will, however, remember how it finished.

Did the heroine get saved? Did the dragon get slayed? Did the MC attain the desire of their “I want” song?

Did you read 30 books this year? Did you make it through every chapter? Did you learn a new perspective or habit?

Did you gain muscle? Are your clothes looser? Do you have more energy?

Finishing strong isn’t just about you accomplishing your goals (but that is a massive achievement). It’s also about learning you can do more than you ever thought. Not only that, but others will see and notice.

Some will see how many icebergs you dodged and how you navigated those difficult storms. Some will have walked through those battles with you. Others didn’t see all the behind the scenes work. They didn’t see the cost. Determination takes work and sacrifice. It costs money to patch the sails and obtain new oars. To coat the decks with pitch and plug the leaks.

But when you land that ship, people notice. You’re thinner. You’ve got a broader repertoire of vocabulary and talking points. Maybe you joined a book club. Whatever the manner of visible victory, you finished strong. Celebrate that. Celebrate it primarily with those who invested in your journey.

Well….that’s all I’ve got! I hope you found this coffee a bit bitter and creamy with just a pinch of sweetness. May your day be lovely rain or shine.