Magic Can Happen at the Finish Line!
Tell me if this sounds familiar: You start something new. It may be a business pursuit, a new hobby, or a new health regiment. Your passion is ignited and you immerse yourself completely in this new venture, and probably even experience success or results. The finish line is in your sights, and just as you're getting ready to cross it....you quit.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone! A subtle tendency I have seen in myself and in many of my clients in the tendency to stop or block the flow of success just before a major goal or project is complete - or right before the finish line. In the past week, two of my clients have mentioned letting up on business goals since the end of the year is only 38 days away. Another client, who is 10 pounds from his ideal weight loss goal, voiced wanting to “rest on his laurels” since he is "close enough". Another client talked about pulling the plug of an online launch because she wasn't getting the initial response she had hoped for.
So what changes between the starting line and the finish line that makes us hesitant to continue pushing towards success? Read on to learn more about how you can allow the continuous flow of success that will lead you to achieve your goals!
Don't pull the plug!
What is really happening in the scenarios above is that these clients are wanting relief from the discomfort they will feel if they fall short of meeting their goal. They pull the plug prematurely to avoid the pain. Worse yet, some people even stop making goals all together to avoid feeling uncomfortable.
Magic happens at the finish line. Allow yourself to cross it!
What I want to offer is that magic can happen at the finish line. If you hold the belief and the positive feeling that you are going to succeed, or the thought that this is working, you keep the flow of success open.
I have seen sales skyrocket as new signups flood in on the last enrollment day of an online launch. I have seen businesses meet and exceed record sales at the end of the year, and I have seen people break through weight-loss plateaus after weeks of seeing the same number on the scale. What do all three of these eventual successes have in common?
They never wavered and they didn't give up! They found their second-wind, they pushed through the home stretch, and made it to and through the finish line to where the magic happens.
So what happens if you maintain total alignment up until the very end and you still don’t meet your goal? The magic is in the lessons you learn from your experience, and how you use them to figure out your next move.
You may remember from previous blogs, we get to analyze the data at the finish line: What worked? What didn’t? What do we want to do differently next time? These lessons do not fully reveal themselves unless we go ALL the way.
The Greatest Sports Stories Ever Told
Consider how often in sports a team comes back from a major deficit to win the game on one long pass or a seemingly impossible buzzer-beater. When the team is down by several touchdowns, we can see how it would be easy, and even understandable, to pull the plug. Bench your starters, take a knee, or even throw the remaining minutes for lack of effort and the belief they are going to lose. But the greatest sports stories ever told include unbelievable comebacks from the underdog teams that held onto the belief that they'd win until the very last play.
In fact, the greatest sports-related memory I, and many of my friends have, is when the Cleveland Cavaliers came back from a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals. It was the largest deficit in NBA Finals history, and against what was arguably the best team ever. The players believed, and the city believed, and that belief never wavered - and it resulted in the long-awaited end of a 50+ year championship drought in the city of Cleveland. It may sound cheesy, but what if the team had given up? That would have changed the vibe of our city for that entire summer - maybe even since then period!
The Cavs Championship Parade would have never happened had our players prematurely pulled the plug!
In summary, when you set a big goal, don't feel the need to protect your feelings. If you fail, feel those uncomfortable feelings, learn from your mistakes, and keep moving forward. When we assume our failures before seeing something through, we rob ourselves of these precious insights and don’t give ourselves the opportunity to increase our emotional bandwidth.
There are 38 days left in this year. Challenge yourself to keep taking actions towards your goals until 11:59 pm on Dec. 31st instead of prematurely pulling the plug, and forgive yourself and move on from any backsliding during the holidays.
If you're ready to make your dreams a reality and unleash a new you in 2020, keep an eye out for an exciting announcement about a new opportunity coming very soon! Until then, have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones!
Mind Your Strength,
Melanie Shmois, MSSA LISW-S
What's the worst that can happen? You may feel some uncomfortable feelings - and you can handle those! If you can't handle them alone, I can help. Schedule a consultation call with me below: