Staying The Course
Starting and Finishing Things
You don’t start things and not finish them. YOU DON’T QUIT. There is nothing that comes out of quitting, besides knowing that you didn’t finish. We finish everything. You start it, FINISH IT! — Kevin Hart
Imagine being on a boat ride and just deciding not to continue, right there in the middle of the water. Odd, right? Or maybe not. When it comes to doing something new, making a change or chasing your dreams, starting is usually the easiest part. Staying the course and finishing can sometimes get difficult and we are tempted to jump ship.
Planning is not strange when you are about to start something new. Counting the cost of said venture — money, time and other resources is a huge part of it.
“For who would construct a house before first sitting down to estimate the cost to complete it?” — Luke 14:28b (TPT)
Try as you may, it may be impossible to plan or prepare for curve balls, no matter how meticulous you are. Unlike provisions in accounting (hi guys), you can not really set aside resources to deal with these unforseen circumstances you may encounter along the way. You don’t know what they could be anyway so you have to deal with them as they come.
While some of the setbacks, delay or mishaps are self-inflicted, consequences of our lack of discipline or dedication to the course, we can not overlook the place of matters beyond our control. We must come to terms with the fact that some detours are part of the process and wild as it may sound, you can’t pray them away. Some things do not come together until their due time (thanks to the law of seedtime and harvest). Not everything you set to do will be a smooth ride so you have to brace up because you can’t afford to give up on your dreams.
“Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.” — Oliver Goldsmith
So, what happens when things don’t go according to plan but you have to keep at it, continue on your path, stay the course?
Keep your goal(s) in mind. The reason you started out in the first place must always be front and center in your mind. It keeps you going. Whether or not anyone encourages you, let your goals be your driving force.
Eliminate fear. Sometimes, we know what we need to do to get ahead but fear keeps us from doing these things. Fear can be crippling and when you entertain it, things begins to fall apart. You can not let the fear if what if I am/this thing is not good enough? stop you. You have to keep it moving; except of course, you’d rather spend the rest of your life asking yourself what if? Sometimes, it’s not as bad as you think it is and you’re just being hard on yourself.
I signed up for a writing challenge in September last year and did not even attempt the first entry until February this year. It was a recurring item on my to-do lists but I somehow could not muster the courage to do it. I would think about starting and literally shudder at the thought of sharing it with anyone. I realized it was a problem when I could not even convince myself to do the work and just save it on my computer, away from the prying eyes of the world. I knew then that I had to do it — and share it. When I eventually put it out, the feedback was good and I was wondering why I allowed fear to hold me back.
Don’t give room to doubt. It has a large presence and casts a shadow on everything, even the smallest things. Fight it with everything you have — prayers, affirmations, talking to friends that lift you up, anything that makes you believe in yourself and what you’re doing, working at or building.
Don’t focus on what’s not working or coming together. Having established the inevitability if curve balls, we have to find other ways to keep going. There are certainly other things that are going well, no matter how seemingly insignificant. Hold on to those little joys and wins like your life depends on them.
Don’t lose hope. This is probably the most important point. You can skirt around the other points and even find coping mechanisms for them but the moment you lose hope is the end. You have to always believe it will come together, no matter how long it takes.
On the other hand, an important part of staying the course as we chase our dreams is knowing when it’s time to pack up and go home. Dreams are great and we should pursue them by all means necessary but we can’t ignore the place of reality. This is not about roadblocks or plans coming together slowly, it is taking stock, assessing progress, going back to the drawing board, whatever you want to call it but you will know when it’s time, if that’s the case. Some ventures are stepping stones to others and that’s all they are.
It’s okay to want to win despite the odds; however, should you run out of options, you can always find something else to do or change tactics. As far as I know, there is no law anywhere against having multiple dreams. I leave you with the words of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 10:10. Love and light!
✌🏽😎
If you enjoyed reading this, please clap as many times as possible as it makes the post more visible to those who may like it or learn from it. You can also leave a comment and share it with your peeps. I’d love to hear from you so feel free to follow me on Twitter and Instagram! You can also read more of my writing here.
