Dreams and goals in life are one of the prominent things for a person.
Without them, life feels a bit empty. You can walk the path, but the path feels endless, which, over time, makes one tired and abandon the path altogether.
Thus, having dreams and goals gives one the momentum and motivation they need to keep going when nothing’s working in their favour.
But that, too, isn’t enough.
Why?
Because if you haven’t reached your destination before it arrives, you cannot reach there.
“If you haven’t reached your destination before it arrives, you cannot reach there,” what’s that supposed to mean?
Well, this is what Finish Before You Start has to say: you have to finish something before you start it.
Okay, wait a moment! How is that supposed to happen?
How can one finish something if they haven’t started it yet?
It’s possible; let’s see how one can do it.
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Finish before you start: Do the opposite of the notion
You might have heard the term “finish what you started,” which simply suggests completing the task at hand, but for achieving dreams or accomplishing your goals, it is not that simple.
Because the path of dreams and goals is not short, and if one keeps thinking about finishing it, they won’t be able to focus on the journey.
They won’t be able to stay in the present.
The general advice is that you need to be focused on progress.
So, how could you do that if you keep thinking about finishing it?
You cannot.
Another meaning of this “finish before you start” is finishing one task before starting another.
A good advice for people who multitask a lot.
Because if you juggle from one task to another, you are not giving the golden-focused time to a single task that helps you do it effectively.
Being a multitasker means you are only spending time on things that would produce an outcome that is not worth it. When we multitask, we only spend ordinary consciousness, not the deep sense (sub-consciousness) that can create a masterpiece.
Therefore, it’s better to finish something you have started before you start something else.
Now, let’s get to the real essence of “finish before you start.”
To accomplish your dreams
When you are pursuing your dreams, you cannot switch from one dream to another.
You cannot multitask.
You cannot write and edit at the same time. If you do, you won’t achieve any.
In addition, you need to have a clear ending in your mind before it actually happens. Before you reach your destination, you must arrive at your destination in your mind.
Before you create something in real, create it in your mind.
If the picture isn’t clear in your consciousness, how could you expect it to be clear in reality?
If you don’t have an outline, how could you write your story piece by piece effectively? If you don’t have the climax in mind, how could you end the movie?
Furthermore, by arriving at your destination in your mind, you have given yourself a solid reason to finish what you have started because, in your mind, it’s already done, and now, if you don’t complete it, it’s just like not giving the effort.
When you work on something that’s already finished in your mind, you won’t have any obstacles because you know where you need to go and what shape you need to give to the object you’re working on.
You are ready to take the detour whenever needed.
Think for a moment: if you have already finished a race in your mind, how would it feel to race in reality?
You will give your everything to achieve what you have already achieved in your conscience.
It would be harder for you to accept other than what you have already accepted.
So, apart from giving your best effort, there’s no other option.
How can one finish before they start?
The Zander letter theory suggests that people who journal their goals in the past tense, not in future, tend to achieve them more. Instead of writing, “I will do this,” or “I will do that,” when they write, “I have done this,” or “By regularly working out, I built my physique,” they achieve their goals effectively.
Even though they haven’t done it, they write it as, in a “completed” sense, something they have already achieved, and so they do.
In addition to using this technique, you can also incorporate the following:
Do MEV before you start
Mediation + Exercise + Visualisation = A better you to work on your dreams.
Life is not easy, and most of the time, we face situations that we don’t want to. Mediation helps you keep your mind strong and sane when facing unwanted circumstances.
It’s crucial to have stillness when everything’s reckless.
With the help of meditation, you can build your mental muscle. Through mediation, you can take care of your mind; however, if your body isn’t feeling right or not in the right shape, the mind won’t help.
Like Buddha, you need to choose the path that goes from in between.
Therefore, to have a good mind, you need to have a good body, and for that, a sort of exercise is crucial.
You can do Yoga or hit the gym, but you need to drop some sweat to keep the mind and body in sync.
When both mind and body are in harmony, you can effectively work on your dreams or goals.
To make that easier, visualise what you want in life and do it as if you’ve already achieved it. Let the conscience feel the emotions and give the energy that’s needed to start.
So, to finish before you start, start with these three: mediation, exercise, and visualisation = MEV.
Plan before action in the past form
You cannot write a good story if you don’t make an outline before you actually create it.
Furthermore, as the saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Therefore, a solid plan is highly necessary.
But, this time, when you make your plan, don’t do it in the future tense; instead, do it in the past tense. The study carried out on the Zander letter found that students who practiced it got better grades than those who didn’t.
Therefore, plan before action and do it like you have already done it.
Believe
Your plan is going to work–you need to believe that to accomplish your dreams.
If you’re not going to believe it, then how can you expect someone else to do it? Think for a moment: would you believe in a person who doesn’t believe in himself?
You won’t, and your plan shouldn’t have to be like that person.
It needs to be believable, and for that, what you can do is split it into small parts, something that you can easily work on.
Don’t try to lose 10 pounds in a single day; instead, plan to lose 1 pound a week, which is 0.14 pounds per day. See, losing 0.14 pounds per day doesn’t feel like an enormous target as compared to 10 pounds or 1 pound as well.
Additionally, you can only believe in your dreams and goals only if you believe in yourself.
So, have an unwavering faith–you’ve got this.
Act early
Everybody has 24 hours a day, but still, most people will complain that they have no time to do the thing they want to do the most.
The reason is that they don’t plan their evenings, which affects their mornings as well.
To achieve your dreams and goals, you need to act early. You don’t necessarily have to wake up early in the morning, but you need to spend your first two hours on the thing you care about.
Why?
Because in the mornings, our energies are high, and we can easily take on any task.
So, it’s better if you use that energy for the dreams you have.
Many put essential things in the evenings, but evenings are for ease, so we end up choosing things that don’t require much attention and energy–going to the bar, watching movies, or evening gossiping with the family.
Therefore, act early, act in the morning, so you can relax better in the evening and wake up again to act on your thing.
Keep repeating – never give up, never give in
Pursuing your goals will not be easy.
You need to have that thing clear in your mind. It’s going to be way harder than you thought, so be prepared to face any challenges that might come.
In the start, you’ll have the intensity to work out; you might be able to tackle some things pretty well, but as the length of the path increases, you will start to feel tired. And there, you need to show the real strength.
There, you need to keep believing, acting, planning, and repeating it till you don’t finish what you have started.
It’s never about reaching your dreams. Instead, it’s about stepping up your levels.
If you stop, you’ll stop forever.
So, never give up, never give in. Yes, things are going to be tough, but if you can walk a mile, you can walk 100 miles as well.
And not because you have to, but because you want to.
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Nathawat Brothers: Sharing life advice that makes sense.