Most of us have To-Do lists that never end, and when our day is over, we feel frustrated. Half-started projects, incomplete reports, books begun and never finished- all of these drain large amounts of energy and actually create stress.
Incompletions are a form of self-sabotage, which can create anxiety, worry and tension. Every day, each one of us makes commitments to do things. Saying you’ll be at work on time is an agreement. Setting up lunch with a friend at a certain time and place is an agreement. Promising to take out the garbage tonight is an agreement.
Most people are good at keeping agreements with others. People who don’t keep agreements don’t have many friends, because they aren’t trustworthy.
Broken agreements destroy relationships. The problem for many of us is keeping agreements with ourselves. Promising ourselves we will get up early to exercise and then rolling over when the alarm goes off is a broken agreement.
Completion is Powerful
In The Path of Least Resistance, Robert Fritz describes the circle of completion. The three phases in this circle are germination, assimilation and completion. Germination is the initial start-up phase of a project. This is usually where you feel the greatest excitement and enthusiasm about your life. You’ll most likely share that contagious energy with others.
Assimilation is the phase where people take action, where you’re actually doing what needs to be done to make things happen. This is where many people get stuck and never completely finish projects. They get halfway done or they quit just short of realizing their goals. That is a big mistake because they lose out on all the joy and power that comes from Completion.
There is a distinct and special energy you experience every time you complete. Think about it. Reflect on the last time you finished some goal or project you’d been working towards for some time. How did you feel? Satisfied, pleased with yourself, perhaps even proud? That’s all part of the energy of completion and that energy gets you motivated to accomplish your next goal. It actually fuels the next project.
How to Get More Completion in Your Life
• Walk through your house and notice what is incomplete. Is there a huge pile
of laundry waiting to be done? Is the carpet filthy? Take 10 minutes right
now and just do it. Feel the completion.
• Are there any old newspapers or half-read magazines in your home?
Recycle them or throw them away.
• Look in your closet. Is there some article of clothing you know you will
never wear again? Give it away.
Completions can fuel your energy for new projects and get you Fired Up!
Start tackling your incompletions now and see how much better you feel.
