CHEERS to the last week of my semester!!! YAY! And to anyone else taking classes or in school right now, cheers to you as well. The end is near! I am officially done with my first year of doctoral studies on April 30th. I’ll still have to go to class the following week, but I won’t have to turn in any work. I’ll just sit through class stressing about final grades – no big deal. A part of me wants to get super lazy and binge watch Grace & Frankie on Netflix all night, but I have to see this semester through. It’s really important to me that I finish with the same mindset that I started with: Conquer The Class(es). In January, I claimed all A’s over my semester and I can’t get lazy and settle for B’s; even if I get a B, at least I know I worked for an A. I’m super close to the (first) finish line and in just a few more strides I’ll be taking a victory lap straight into summer and my summer courses. I want to send that energy to my readers as well. No matter what you are doing right now, whether its wrapping up classes; starting a business; practicing a new diet regime; or reading a new book, BE SURE TO SEE IT THROUGH!
I want you to consider things that you have began, but left unfinished. You got a new idea, you were excited about it, you wrote it down and you began working towards that idea. Then, another great idea comes and overshadows the previous. It’s a shiny object; it’s distracting you from what you’ve already placed in front of you. It seems to be more achievable, exciting, and fruitful than the last. So you drop the last idea and start working towards the new one. After a few months or so, you get another new idea and the cycle repeats itself. Does that sound like something you’ve done before? It’s okay, I’ve been there. Ideas are a dime a dozen and most people are not short of them. However, the key to success in any aspect of life is identifying opportunities and seeing them through. We have to focus on what matters, which consists of getting through the excitement phase and embracing the work phase to appreciate the outcomes.
We have to force ourselves out of starting new things and leaving them incomplete. This is a habit that will either leave you disappointed, unsuccessful, or both! I read an article that stated, “Starting new ideas is like falling in love. In the early stages we imagine that things are “all good” and we ignore the potential obstacles/challenges we may face throughout the journey. Then after a while, the relationship turns into harder work than we expected and we begin to consider if we want to continue working towards the next step.” This mindset will make you stop and consider if it’s more rewarding to quit the relationship or to work through your current issues. This type of logic goes hand in hand with anything that requires hard work. We get past the puppy love stage and when it’s time to roll up our sleeves and apply elbow grease we stop to consider the pros and cons of hard work and the reward that said work will yield. Thus, leading you to make a decision between quitting or working through the hard shit. Don’t quit, fam (unless the “thing” is destructive, harmful, abusive, inhibiting, toxic, etc.). Here’s why:
The habit of quitting is destructive and it spreads into other aspects of your life like a bad cancer. Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit and a part of your life that will lead you down many paths ending in failure. We control more of our future than we understand and the small things add up to make a big difference. Quitting may seem small now, but the consequences of it comes further down the line. The next time you consider quitting something consider the importance of consistency and patience. Patience isn’t about waiting, but keeping a good attitude while waiting and consistency will see you through to your end result. Remember, great things are done by a series a small things being brought together. Remain consistent and steadfast because quitting is the easiest thing to do. When you feel like quitting remember why you started and always remember that your focus determines your reality. Focus on the outcome, not the obstacle. FOCUS AND FINISH.
