Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done

by Jon Acuff

All I’m asking you to create is a list of actions. If you don’t want to do that, how do you think you’ll feel when you actually have to do the actions? Writing down “Make cold calls to potential clients” is infinitely easier than actually doing it when the time rolls around.

You can only bring a limited amount of work.

The white noise helps you focus.

The Internet connection is too weak to get distracted.

There’s a well-defined deadline.

Nobody knows you.

What if you collected data and the results aren’t what you were hoping for? That’s why a lot of people quit. They give in to disappointment and unmet expectations.

If you’re unhappy with your progress, you have three different dials you can adjust. The goal The timeline The actions

In personal projects it’s easier to deal with all three dials because you’re the one in charge. Instead of beating yourself up, instead of misremembering how easy it was in the past, instead of quitting, look at the three dials. Do you need to tweak your goal, your timeline, or your actions?

We don’t ever age out of needing someone to believe in us.

Goals you refuse to chase don’t disappear—they become ghosts that haunt you. Do you know why strangers rage at each other online and are so quick to be angry and offended these days?