Thursday, November 6, 2014

The Glorious Release of Completion


Coming to the end of a year we often look back at all we have a accomplished (or not accomplished) and we weigh our lives against how far we have come…

If I ask myself what the most satisfying, joy-inducing experiences in my life are, I'd say spending quality time with the people I love and fully completing ongoing projects. Anything that gets in the way of these I identify as a challenge, and the struggle to overcome it effects me emotionally. Though I will always find ways to be with my loved ones, it's completion that's the heavy hitter for me.

Completion releases energy. When we invest energy in a plan, our energy is tied up until that action is finished and also acknowledged. Each time we complete a plan, the accumulated energy is released, blasting us into an even larger orbit of action.

Incompletion makes it hard for us to get out of bed. Our minds are filled up with all the things we have to do...so full in fact we can't manage to do any if them.


A lot of times I experience incompletion as a failure: I have failed to do what I said I would do by the time I said I would do it. I cannot move on to my next if I can't complete the now. But incompletion is just a hole in a glass - We cannot fill the glass until we repair it. Patching up the hole is completion. It does not mean we've failed, rather it just simply means there is a call for change in how we've been doing it until now. Think of your goal plan like a relationship: At first it's exciting and easy to find the passion in it...but when shit gets rough and times are hard, it's time to reconsider our commitment. Either put a ring on it or go your separate ways!

This coming Monday The Body of Artists leadership program will honor it's second team of artists graduating the 18 month program. These ladies have come such an unbelievably long way since they began their journey in 2013. They have pushed through unbelievable challenges, experienced some great successes, fell on their faces, gotten back up, and broken through obstacles to become the dynamic professional make up artists they are today. There are probably still some things they would say they have not "completed" as they imagined at the beginning of their program... But does this mean they can't move forward to the next stage of their lives and careers with a feeling of accomplishment?

Let's examine some steps of completion as an actual practice:

Acknowledge what it is you are incomplete about. (without judging the facts or yourself)
No judgments. Just say what it is, no feeling guilt over it.

Acknowledge what HAS been accomplished.
Whether you believe it or not, you have accomplished something with this goal. What was it? How can you acknowledge yourself for that?

Acknowledge what is left undone.
So what's left? What is still incomplete?

Ask yourself if there is a next action to take. If so, write it down and schedule it.
Take action NOW. Put it in your calendar. Make a phone call, write an email, have a conversation ... But do it right now....go ahead...we'll be here...not going anywhere...

Ask yourself if you truly want to finalize this goal. Are you really passionate about this being done?
Maybe you notice you have a strong resistance to doing this (for reasons other than you have been overwhelmed or there's been a few roadblocks here or there) or that you are totally not feeling the goal anymore. It was a good idea at the time but you've moved on...so just declare it COMPLETE. Say it's done and move on!

Is there anything else to say or do that will leave you empowered? If so, to or with whom? Say it, do it, or schedule yourself to do so.
Is there a confidence issue at hand? Is there a person who seemingly stands in the way of your path to completion? Remember your commitment. Do you want to cross the finish line or not? Make your vision bigger then your circumstances, and push through! In other words, knock off the bullshit and do what you need to do, or don't complain.

Finally....MOVE ON!!!