There is nothing so fatal to character as half finished tasks. ~David Lloyd George

A few years ago I had lunch with a mentor from church, I was describing the last few years of my life and he said, “you need to finish something.”  This is a struggle for me as I wear many hats and I have several irons in the fire; however, that day I realized that if I start something I need to finish it.

I eventually discover that nearly everything that I have done, thought or said is old news.  It has all been thought of and considered; nothing is new under the sun (Eccl 1:9).  If you are racking your brain about what to do next and how to show the world your skills, then find something to finish.  There are two main categories: finish something that someone else started or finish something that you started…the latter is better.

Successful people are finishers; ironically, many of them are not starters.  Henry Ford did not start by building the first car, but he knew how to make the process better.  Steve Jobs and Bill Gates did not build the first computer, but they knew how to make them better.  John D. Rockefeller did not dig the first oil well, but he did have the foresight to move to Cleveland where the oil industry was already thriving and form a partnership that made him the richest man ever.

Starter are not necessarily successful people.  Marriages are started but not always seen to the end.  Budgets are well thought out but rarely followed.  Workout programs are started but end quickly.  Diets are thought out but not always completed.  Resolutions and goals are established but they are quickly dissolved.  If you want to be known as a successful person of character then be a finisher. Here are a few tips that will help:

1. Make a list and prioritize: Decide what goes on your vertical plan and what goes on your horizontal plan.
2. Delegate or outsource: Let someone else do the remedial tasks so that you can tackle the major obstacles, in other words, spend your time doing what only you can do.
3. Stay away from time eaters: Unorganized meetings, unplanned interruptions, and unnecessary emails will steal your day if you let them.
4. Create deadlines: Set a deadline and make it realistic.  When your boss gives you a deadline you meet it (hopefully).  Remember that you are also a boss; you are the boss of you.  Set deadlines and goals for yourself.  You should respect yourself as the boss as much as you would any other boss.
5. Do not let perfect get in the way of progress:  It is easy to get discouraged when you see how difficult it is to make everything perfect.  You do not have to be the best, but you do have to finish.

What do you need to finish?