Think about all of the projects you’ve started but didn’t finish. All of your unrealized goals and forgotten dreams. When you think about them, or look at the unfinished documents on your hard drive, it’s not a good feeling.
You failed. You weren’t good enough. You didn’t do what you said you would do.
Ugh.
Now, think about the things you did finish. The projects you completed. The cases you settled. The documents you pushed out into the world.
Different feeling, isn’t it?
It feels good to finish things because doing so validates your abilities and value. Getting things done might mean more revenue, or simply the affirmation of a job well done, but whatever it is, there’s no question that it is enjoyable.
One reason it feels good is that finishing causes the pleasure centers of your brain to experience a rush of chemicals that literally make you feel good. You get high on finishing, so you are compelled to do it. And start the next thing on your list so you can finish that and enjoy the feeling again.
It’s a positive addiction and I encourage you to become a junkie.
Give in to your cravings. Finish what you start and feel the rush.
You need to know when to abandon projects that don’t “pencil out,†of course, but when you do that, use the reclaimed time to start and finish something else.
Something else that feels good: referrals
