NESSA’S NOTIONS: Starting Feels Good, Finishing Feels Even Better
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By VANESSA W. SNYDER
Have you ever finished most of a project and thought that was good enough? Or ever started a project and abandoned it?
Several years ago, a great principal-friend gave me some tough feedback. She said, “Vanessa, I want you to work on finishing tasks all the way to the end with excellence.”
Gulp. I wasn’t even quite sure what she meant by that. However, as time went on and I reflected on my habits, I recognized that I excelled at generating great ideas and starting projects but was not-so-good at always seeing them through to completion.
Fast forward to now. Anyone working on a doctorate would agree that the Literature Review is the most challenging part of the process. Well, I’ve done that step. But there’s more to do. And I must admit I haven’t put the same level of energy into the next step because in my mind I’ve done the hard part, you know, the major part.
Perhaps this next step can magically finish itself. Not.
I’m finished, but not really. My committee chair spotted this right away and sent me back to the drawing board to finish a piece of my work that wasn’t done.
As I reflect on other areas of my life, I see evidence of great projects that were started but not quite finished. You see, new ideas and projects are fun in the beginning when they reside in your head. But then you realize there’s actual work that needs to be done. And that work takes discipline and perseverance.
So, guess what? Lately, I’ve been making changes, searching for those unfinished places in my life. Whether it’s the disorganized cupboard, forgotten weight-loss plan, discarded book project, or my ongoing dissertation, I’m trying to finish things I’ve started.
How about you?
What project or idea have you abandoned or left just a bit unfinished? Is it a business or a book? A house project or goal you promised to complete this year? If so, it’s August y’all. We only have five months left.
Starting feels good. But finishing feels even better.
(A former journalist currently working on her doctorate in Social Emotional Learning, Vanessa is a dedicated and passionate educator in the DC Public Schools system. She loves learning, leadership, innovation, collaboration, and discovering new ways to drive student gains and support staff members).
