Consistency
I was talking to some friends about a month ago, and one woman said once she started a project, she couldn’t stop until it was finished. I listened, dumbfounded. Who was this woman?? People finished things?! I convinced myself she was lying.
I, somewhat embarrassed, explained how good I am at starting things, and how bad I am at finishing them. Images of all the things I have begun but never completed flashed in my mind. My friend looked at me like I was from another planet. Maybe I was.
I want to be a finisher!
The problem I have is that I really, REALLY, love starting new projects. Don’t you? The beginning is exciting and full of possibility and feels like embarking on some great adventure. I’m so easily sucked into the new—oh, I love to start! It is such a favorite of mine. Some examples:
I LOVE starting the laundry—but I hate to finish it. When Brian and I were first married, I forgot to get our laundry out of the dryer and someone stole some of our things. (stupid laudromat) They took my favorite purple sports bra and Brian’s beloved church socks with basketballs on them. I still get sad about that one.
I wanted to recreate the quiet book my mom had for us when we were little kids, so I got all the supplies…and never finished it. To be fair, I did make several pages, hated them, threw them away, and planned to start again. I didn’t. And now my youngest is 12. Maybe for my future grandkids…?
I bought the CUTEST skirt pattern for my little girls, downloaded it onto my computer…and never bought fabric. I don’t even have the computer I used anymore. I think that was 16 years ago. Whoops.
I have several finished quilt tops from years ago, that simply need to be quilted, a few half-made quilts, t-shirts saved in the nether regions of my closet for quilting, a million purchased patterns for all kinds of things, scrapbook supplies galore for years of memories that now sit on my phone, and a cross stitch that I have been working on for four years—well, more accurately, I have worked on the cross stitch for two months every year for the past four years. 😂
Now this one is hard to admit—remember the Chatbooks debacle? After I wrote about my experience, I got on the app, saw an option to extend to the end of August….and took it. I have not made ONE book. 😬🙄 Help me.
Sigh.
The list of unfinished projects is endless. I cannot bring myself to truly list all the things. It’s A LOT. I even bought a book to help me. It’s called Finish What You Start by Peter Hollins. I’m on page 79. The book is 200 pages long. I confessed on Facebook, hoping a little shame would motivate me to at least read the whole book! Did it work?
Nope.
But last month, as I talked with my project-finishing-friends, something changed. I was sick of myself. I stood there, not really listening to the conversation anymore, but feeling a new resolve gurgling up from deep inside. I wanted needed was going to change. I would be a finisher.
So, in the last four weeks, I finished EVERYTHING!
Just kidding.
This isn’t a fairytale people, it’s real life. 😳
Truthfully, I have finished one quilt. ONE! It’s not perfect and it’s not winning any competitions, but it’s done and I love it with all my heart. I am now working on the cross stitch that has been neglected from January-October since 2021. I do a little bit more every single day, even though it is tedious and not fun at all. I have learned that all the fun and excitement of a new project fades rather quickly, and my motivation goes with it. But I don’t need motivation anymore. I practice consistency instead.
To be honest, consistency is boring.
B.O.R.I.N.G.
It is slow, and dull, and monotonous, and frustrating, and feels pointless. However, consistency leads to real change. It takes started projects and turns them into finished projects—and I am here for it!
I have no clue how long it will take me to finish all the things. It may be a while. 😂 I don’t really care, actually. I’m committed to consistency in whatever project I’m doing. Seriously.
I am a finisher.
