While I was in Jr. High School, I ran track. I don’t remember much about it; I wasn’t particularly significant at it. But I did have an excellent coach. He was brutal but brilliant. He knew when to challenge and when to inspire. He was a good man and an outstanding coach. One thing that sticks out to me about him is something he always used to say when we were coming around that last lap and headed for the finish line, no matter how fast or long we had run. When we arrived at the previous quarter mile, he would say, “Kick, finish strong, run through the tape.”
Finishing strong is so important. Not just finishing strong, but finishing well. It is amazing how little thought we give to the idea of the way we spend.
2018 is coming. We are rapidly careening toward the end of 2017, and most people are thinking about next year. We are putting our plans together and building strategies to achieve excellence in another year.
Starting always seems more important than finishing. It looks a lot more fun and far more exciting. The starting line appears to be our focus more than the finish line. I suppose it’s because it’s exciting to think about what is ahead, what the future holds. The finish line is all about evaluating what we have done. It’s about the discipline of wrapping things up, taking care of business, and finishing things off. We need to be honest and admit whether we hit the mark, reached the goal, or accomplished the task.
Yes, it is exciting to start something new. I get pumped just thinking about new opportunities, fresh ideas, and another chance to attempt to reach for success. However, it is so important to finish strong. Not just for finishing’s sake but for the sake of the new start. How can you start well next year if you didn’t finish strong this year? It will feel like something was left undone, leaving you with a sense of incomplete work.
REASONS TO FINISH STRONG:
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Finishing strong gives you the confidence to start the next thing strong.
- Confidence is a trait we all need more than we would like to admit. We lack confidence because we usually have several things in our lives that are still incomplete. Whether it’s procrastination or a lack of priority, when we have things undone, it shakes our core and creates a feeling of failure.
- If we finish strong, however, we leave one season and go into the next with our heads held high with a feeling of achievement. We are ready for the next thing because the last item is complete.
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Finishing strong Keeps your momentum moving and carries you into the next race with high energy.
- There is nothing more disappointing than a competitive runner to have run a race and be in the lead, then come to the finish, and right before we cross the finish line, we let up, and someone who has been trailing us runs past us and wins the race. Sure, we came in second, but we would have won if we had just run through the tape and hustled vitally to the end. REGRET
- Go into next year with momentum. With a win under your belt. That prepares you and inspires you for the next race. Finishing strong gives us that opportunity.
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Finishing strong reveals what you are made of to you and those on your team.
- There is no better way to gain your team’s confidence than to finish strong. It shows them that you don’t give up or quit, that you are persistently passionate about reaching the goal.
- This makes people want to run with you, not just watch you run.
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Finishing strong completes the process. Gives a sense of closure.
- The feeling of being stuck is something we all deal with from time to time. One of the biggest reasons for this is incomplete goals. No follow-through. It is hard to reach for what’s next while you are still holding on to what is behind you, and it’s hard to let go of what is behind you when you didn’t finish strong. What’s worse is if you don’t finish strong, you can lose all the effort, energy, and work you put into it. What is not tied off will eventually unravel.
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Finishing strong prepares you for the next level of the process toward success.
- You are giving it all you have, finishing vital trains and preparing you for the next challenge. It enlarges your capacity and lets you know you can accomplish what is next.
How to finish strong:
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Don’t be distracted by the next thing.
- It would be ridiculous to suggest that you do not plan or strategize for the future. You would not be a leader if you were not looking forward to where we are going. However, plotting and strategizing shouldn’t distract you from finishing this year strong.
- Look at finishing strong as the beginning of starting well.
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Run through the tape.
- When we come to the end of a thing, there is a real temptation to let up. Just coast in.
- A person of integrity understands that you enter the next opportunity like you left the last.
- Don’t start slowing towards the finish line. This is the time to kick it into high gear. Focus and give it all you have.
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Let your focus carry you through the finish.
- There is a principle in martial arts that says your energy will carry you through to your focus. When someone is breaking blocks or wood, they don’t look at the top board and try to break it. They look at the floor beneath all the boards, and then, as they strike, their energy carries them to the point of their focus.
- Get your eye on the prize of finishing and run through it- not just to it but through it. Don’t let up or slow down until you have broken the tape, and you can say, ” I finished strong. “
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Commit to follow through no matter what.
- When you come to the end of something, many excuses will arise to get you to give up.
- When running, your legs can go numb. You have to tell your body you are in control, can do it, and will run through.
- The sounds of the footsteps and breathing of the other runners around you can intimidate you and make you want to give in.
- The sheer weariness can get to you. You feel like you can’t finish it. You are just too tired.
- The only thing that will pull you through is commitment. You agreed with yourself that you would not give up a commitment no matter what, how hard, how tired, or what obstacle stands in the way.
