Start It and Finish It

Have you ever started something and lost momentum toward finishing it about halfway through?

In today's world, it can be easy to get the ball rolling on a project or activity, only to fizzle out in excitement after a few weeks or months. Our attention is constantly pulled this way, and pushed that way. With the growth of social media and reliance on internet, distractions can make it challenging to stick with it. Though we're in the moment when starting an activity, this moment may pass by too quickly and seem irrelevant after a while. What's the trade-off in not following through with what you start?

"Following through" is an expression that comes up in sports a lot. Whether you're swinging at a baseball, tennis ball, or golf ball, unless you follow through with your motion and put your whole body and focus into what you're doing, the end result risks being a letdown. When you commit to your action and follow through completely, you've tried your best and may be surprised at just how much momentum and strength you can put behind your swing. The same goes for those things we wish to pursue in any area of life. Starting it, sticking with it, and finishing (or following through on) it can feel very rewarding and healthy. Not doing so can leave a unsatisfying dot, dot, dot at the end of what we do.

Beware of all the clutter that may come your way that tells you it's not worth finishing what you start. No matter how big the world feels in its apparent connectedness, you still have the space around you in your own life in which to do what you want. No matter how much the information on a screen proclaims its importance, you probably have things you've started in your own life that could feel even more substantial and satisfying if pursued further.

Are there areas of your life where you'd like to follow through more? Put that extra umph behind your swing and go for it!

Take Charge of Your Fears

We all have "those moments" come up. The moments that seem to paralyze our bodies and minds, shake up all notions of who we are, and to suggest that we don't have what it takes. FEAR. Whatever form it takes and however daunting it appears, fear actually isn't a bad four-letter word. When fear comes up in life, it presents a unique opportunity for us to learn and to grow. We all have fears, and whether they stop us in our tracks or propel us forward toward what we want---depends on what we do with them.

There is a tendency to want to ignore fears, fix them, and hope they'll go away on their own without the attention they're asking for. We can start to believe that the messages the fears seem to be sending us are true, and we seek to avoid them even further. On top of that, there are often internally- and externally-sparked messages that if we feel fear, that we're weak and lacking in courage.

The truth is, there can be no courage in life without fear. There also can't be real excitement, determination, enjoyment, and pride. Squashing out the natural emotion of fear in life tends to squash out life in general and limits how we express ourselves as unique individuals. When fear is knocking loudly on the door, it's asking us to open up to something new in life, and it's often something that we're ready to handle at that point. If we ignore the fear, it keeps knocking anyway while waiting to be noticed. Eventually, we can start to feel scared of even being afraid and this suppression takes up much of our time and energy.

There is no solution to fear, and there doesn't need to be. Fear is a natural and potentially energizing part of life, and its source in the body is closely tied to the same place excitement comes from too. Both the feelings of fear and excitement release similar hormones and neurotransmitters in the body. Instead of letting fears take us over and rule how we live, we can learn to take more charge of them. Acknowledging fears as part of reality allows us to take pressure off of ourselves and the need to be perfect. Instead, we can learn our way through the scary experiences. If we let ourselves face fears and process them, we can use the energy that is contained within them to live life how we want.

Luckily, there's no magic trick to facing fears. They're actually right in front of our faces and waiting to be noticed, if we allow space in our lives for them. Start by opening the door that fear is knocking on and saying, "I feel scared of _____________."

It's Okay to Feel Tired

"Tired" may seem like a nasty 5-letter word in today's world. We come to expect the body to keep up with full work schedules, harrying commutes, family responsibilities, social responsibilities, finances, progression and improvement, and all the worries and anxieties that come along with being a well-rounded human being. Sometimes, the body just has to put its foot on the brakes by making you feel tired. Is this tired feeling evil for making you press pause? Should you just override it and keep going anyway?

If you seek energy in 5-hour, 8-hour, or 12-hour energy bottles, caffeine, or sugar, these temporary bursts of energy aren't real. These quick-fix substances put you on overdrive so you can get through more hours with a level of energy that your body can't keep up with. The backdrop still remains the same---in other words, you're still tired at the end of the day.

It's okay and natural to feel tired sometimes. Blaming yourself for feeling tired or expecting yourself to pick up the energy overnight only rubs salt into the wound. What the body is trying to say during periodic dips in energy is that you need more rest, physically and mental-emotionally---end of the story. It's not trying to tell you that you're not good enough and you need to do better. It's not expecting you to be super human and to find a magical supply of energy somewhere.

When you're feeling tired, don't ask yourself how you can keep up with the Jones's by pushing the body harder. Try and see that your health is talking to you, and it's asking for a break of some sort. Will you give yourself that break, so your energy can start to rise again naturally?