The art of finishing
I always go into a reflective mood during the last weeks of the year. And while going through my journals and digital notes, I noticed I started many projects this year.
Unfortunately, 90% of these are unfinished projects. I stopped working on them the moment my dopamine plummeted and then forgot all about them.
These unfinished projects generate a lot of shame for me. So I stuff them into a cupboard in the hopes of never seeing them again and try to ignore them as best as I can.
Well, we all know how well ignoring shit works out in the end..
This cupboard of shame has created a bigger problem, though. I've lost trust in myself. Trust that I CAN finish things. That I'm able to see things through if I want to.
So, how do I go about reclaiming confidence in finishing stuff?
I'm gonna set teeny tiny goals that I know are doable.
Instead of creating yearly goals or setting very lofty expectations, I will experiment with tiny goals. For example, I always set a goal to write multiple newsletters in 1 week, but I can make this smaller. My plan this week will be to write one newsletter or even smaller and come up with a headline for one newsletter.
That feels doable.
Celebrate my wins, no matter how small they seem
Every win counts. That includes sticking with your habits or even getting out of bed in the morning on a particularly rough day.
It's easy to dismiss the intangible things, like going to the supermarket, cooking a (healthy) meal, or going outside for a walk. But I think we should celebrate these, too, because we would be unable to show up daily without them.
So celebrate your (small) wins by doing something for yourself. Have an at-home spa day, go for a long walk, or have a dance party by yourself.
Reflect on past successes!
Have you noticed how easy it is to forget about your past achievements? What's that about right? So what if you could make a list of all the things you did this year?
Could you do it now? Take a piece of paper or open up your notes app on your phone and start writing down everything you can think of that you've done. Remember, small wins count too! Scroll through your calendar or check your old to-do lists if you're drawing a blank.