Lately, there’s been a lot of talk and focus around the idea of “starting” something. While the number of things that could be started are far too numerous to consider, the general idea is that we should get off our rears, fight the resistance and go hard after our dreams. I mean, really hard. And I love it.
If it weren’t for the visionaries in this world, nothing would change or evolve. Our lives would be ancient before we’ve aged simply because we would be following the path that was followed for generations before us.
Starting something means that somebody saw it differently, and they had that guts to say, “What if we ________?” and they did exactly that.
Starting ideas and concepts is tough work. It will nearly always be met with resistance. It’s guaranteed that someone won’t buy in and reject these ideas. But the person who perseveres and starts, despite the odds, despite the resistance, despite the fear, wins. Right? Because that’s the goal. Right?
Wrong.
While starting something new is, and will always be difficult, creating a model that will develop, grow and sustain your concept is where the hard and often overlooked work comes in.
The problem with the exaggerated focus on starting something new is that there’s a disproportionate amount of celebration on just showing up to the starting line. No race has ever been won at the start line. Races are won when you’ve planned, prepared and trained for what will happen between the start and finish.
You know your concept is sustainable when you’ve created a strategy, worked out the tactics, identified and overcome any obstacles and arrived at the starting line with a plan on how to get across the finish line. Now you can celebrate; not because you’ve made it to the start, but because you’re anticipating what’s going to happen at the end.
How you start is important, very important, but in the end it is how you finish that counts. It is easier to be a self-starter than a self-finisher. — B.C. Forbes
