The hardest thing in the world for me to do is finish something. I love to "do" things but get bored easy and fast, then I'm on to something else. When I used to practice new piano pieces for recitals, if they didn't get learned and memorized in the first 3 days, then there was a good chance that they would never get finished or learned well. Now, there really is something awesome about finishing a project in the heat of the moment, but for the most part, most of us have to do things over a period of time. It's just life. You have to make the muse obey your schedule not visa versa. So as a reminder, I got out this picture I drew in the 10th grade. I worked on it every day for three weeks. 30 minutes at a time, in class. It reminds me that if I do something in a disciplined fashion, I can finish something. Not only finish it but finish well. I did it in the 10th grade, I can do it now.
So I hung that sucker up by my desk as a kick in the butt.
It is a good thing to do when you are feeling down and unproductive. Remember something that you have accomplished and get yourself going. Feel good about those things and move forward. Set small goals at a time and eventually you'll have a finished product. I have finished things more recently than the 10th grade, thank God, but for some reason, the way I finished and the fact that I finished it at 15 when my A.D.D. was in FULL bloom and working at its maximum capacity just gets me going with a little more... gumption. Lethargy is a nasty drug for one's confidence.
I can pass that test, I can write that piece, I can pass that test, I can write that piece, I can pass that test...
4 comments:
great picture. and great thoughts.... i have been thinking a lot about what happens when perseverance disappears...
Thanks man.
It feels good to finish. I need more of that feeling.
Do it, sucka! Do that thing!
That's a very cool picture.
Some of the things I used to finish in high school that took a very long time were Woodshop projects.
You only get an hour a day to complete something that might take 30 or 40 hours of work, or more. And it's sort of hard to keep finding a stopping and starting point like that -- there's something to be said for getting momentum going on a project and being able to devote several consecutive hours to it.
You're right though, there is something very rewarding about being able to sit back and look at a finished product.
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