It ain’t the end of anything, it’s the start of everything

Most people don’t finish things.

For numerous reasons, including fear of failure, lack of discipline, too much perfection, not enough permission, the abundance of guilt and the infection of apathy, to name a few.

But one of the many paradoxes of creativity is, finishing the work is where your story starts. What you think is the end of the process is often just the beginning.

My mentor used to tell me, first you write the book, and then the book writes you.

This must be what he was talking about. Executing anything opens up the door whole new world of opportunity, and you have to prepare for that eventuality. You created the damn thing, now you have to learn to live it.

Just when you get there, there disappears.

It reminds me of racing flags. Traditionally used in motorsports, they indicate track conditions and communicate important messages to drivers. My favorite is the checkered flag, which gets waved at the finish line to signal the race is officially over.

It’s actually been around for about a hundred years now. And today, winners are given this flag to celebrate their victory with a bonus lap around the track. Nascar even has a special version of the checkered flag sewn with the name and date of the race on it, and is awarded as prize to the racing team along with the trophy.

Now, let’s talk about the fascinating part of this little icon. Upon spotting the checkered flag and crossing the finish line, drivers will be required to slow down to a safe speed and return to their garage.

But in the creative process, it’s basically the opposite. In many cases after crossing the finish line, you’re speeding up. You’re poking your head out of the safe space of your garage and subjecting your vehicle to the cold, cruel bite of reality.

And that’s the paradox. That’s why most people don’t finish. Because some part of them knows that what they think is the end of the process is only the beginning.

Having given birth to their creative brainchild, laborious and painful and bloody as the process was, it ain’t the end of anything. It’s the start of everything.

Those little black and white boxes will immediately morph into a rousing expanse of green, alerting you, the creator, that it’s time to go, go, go. Pedal to the metal.

Do you err on the side of completion? How does the resistance to finishing show up for you?

The nuances will be different for everyone. My recommendation is to use some of the tools of personal creativity management to solve your execution problems.

Haybarning, as one example, is a boundary tool for declaring something done so your team can reap the benefits of their hard work. It’s when you announce to the team that there will be no more feedback, no more rounds of copy edits, and no more deliberation. This project ships out right now.

Haybarning is a particularly effective execution tool if you have a company executive who likes to give last minute feedback in the eleventh hour of a project. It’s infuriating for everyone, because it moves the finish line back right when the checkered flag is in sight.

With this tool, you’ll be able to nip perfectionism and procrastination in the bud, finish the race like a pro, and start the next lap.

Because ultimately, you’re never really done. This is just the next chapter.

What might help you err on the side of completion?