Every morning in Africa, an antelope wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion, or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest antelope or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or an antelope – when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.

– African Proverbs

“We have to dance it out. That’s how we finish” Doctor Cristina Yang quote in Grey’s Anatomy

 “Starting strong is good. Finishing strong is epic.” – Robin Sharma

“Whenever you have taken up work in hand, you must see it to the finish. That is the ultimate secret of success. Never, never, never give up!” – Dada Vaswani

“When we make progress quickly, it feeds our emotions. Then, when there’s a period of waiting or we hit a plateau, we find out how committed we really are and whether we’re going to see things through to the finish or quit.” – Joyce Meyer

Finish Strong…it’s more than a statement, it’s an attitude.

Have you ever felt super excited about the start of a project, but as time went on your excitement (and motivation) started to wane?

Let’s face it: starting well is relatively easy. Finishing well is a different matter! Starting that new diet or exercise program is kind of fun, but hanging in over the long haul is the real test. Getting married is exciting and relatively easy. Staying STRONG through the struggles, adjustments, and trials is not always an easy matter.

Unfortunately, not all work or opportunities in life are created equal. It is often the work through the bulk of a project that is not remembered or recognized.

The opportunities that tends to be remembered from any given project are those that happened last. It is the final step that most people will think of, because it happened most recently. 

Remember, simple doesn’t always mean easy. Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to do.

Tips ways to finish strong

1. Recommit to your goal.

Review your list of yearly goals and pick ONE. If you didn’t set a list of goals for the year, there’s no better time than now to create one.
(You can use this exercise to review all your goals for the year, but go through the entire exercise one goal at a time.)

In the most cliche example in the world, my goal is to lose 5 lbs. And while it’s cliche, I’m pretty sure that losing 5 lbs over the holidays should count on the same level as losing 15lbs any other time of the year, right?! I am a sucker for all things pumpkin, as well as all the seasonal sweets and treats.

2. If you want it done, make it fun. 

 Research showed that making a goal fun improves the finish rate. In fact, adding fun into the mix of working towards a goal increased the success rate by 43%. This means identifying ways to make the journey fun, not just identifying a reward at the end. The fun should be in the process and the outcome.

Finishing well is not about trying harder. It’s about creating the right mindset that will help you achieve your goals. If you’re tired of trying to achieve your goals by gritting your teeth and mustering enough willpower to make it through, don’t. That’s what the 92% of people who don’t achieve their goals do.

3. Focus on your behavior, not your feelings. 

Dwelling on how you feel like a loser for not getting a new job isn’t helpful. But, identifying the action steps you took could help you create change. Whether you only applied for 3 new positions or you applied to 100, think about the action you took and whether it was helpful.

4. Practice gratitude. 

Whether you write in a gratitude journal or you make it a habit to share what you’re thankful for over dinner, expressing your gratitude builds mental strength.

5.Be With People of Like Mind – Surround yourself with people who are taking their personal development seriously. Finishing strong may mean cutting off people who have no positive impact on your life. This may be painful, but it is necessary. If you think big, then associate yourself with big thinkers.

My friends, finishing STRONG is a passion of mine. It’s about digging in and making the most of every minute in the now.  It is about celebrating where you are and what you can seriously get done with the time left in the year when you’re FOCUSED on what’s in front of you.