Thought

Growing up, my stepfather had all sorts of half-finished projects around the house. A hundred piles… tools and building materials strewn about here, paperwork scattered there. It created an air of chaos and disorganization.

And it always left me baffled.

Young me would wonder:

Why not finish what you’ve started first and then move onto the next thing?

This question has lived in the back of my mind for as long as I can remember.

In all these years, what I’ve found is the finisher is a rare archetype.

Why?

Because finishing anything of significance requires a consortium of virtues.

First, you need to pick the right thing to finish.

The ability to peer into the realm of infinite possibility and choose the right thing to focus on is no small feat.

In a word, discernment.

Picking the wrong starting point is almost worse than never finishing anything at all, because of the wasted sacrifice.

The first virtue points to the second. What stops one from finishing what they start?

Lack of focus.

The ability to stay honed in on a job once the initial excitment and motivation have long since disappeared is vanishingly rare these days.

The root of focus is a simple tool with immense power.

The word “No.”

In a world of excess, what you say no to may be more important than what gets your yes.

With discernment and focus, you have what it takes to finish, but there’s still an ingredient missing.

Take a moment and think about what it might be before reading on…

In my opinion, just finishing something isn’t enough, you have to finish it well.

This takes talent and the heart of a craftsmen.

This reminds me of a story I once heard about Steve Jobs.

He was building a fence with his dad. One side of the fence was running right along a wall, but despite this, his father insisted that both sides of the fence be made as beautiful as possible.

“But no one will see that side dad, no one will ever know.”

“They won’t, but you will.”

And that is the essence of being a finisher.

Pick the right objective, see it to completion and give it your all.

Remember:

The man who starts what he finishes is an unstoppable force on the face of the Earth.

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Tome

If you found this week’s edition valuable, forward it to a man who will benefit from this message.

Hint: every man will benefit.

May your T be ever increasing.

In Victory,

Alexander | Valor Disciple