Strive to FINISH......It is never enough to just start.

Good day friends. This piece is a follow-up to that of yesterday. Read it HERE if you missed it. As this piece reveals that it is not enough to start something, you must be able to finish what you have started. Yes! to finish means you actually have to start. Finishing only comes after starting. It doesn't just happen. You have to take action and move towards completing the task, reaching the goal, dream. It is not important how you start, it is how you finish that counts. Finishing something you’ve worked hard for feels incredible! It makes all the pain along the way worth it. To finish, you must "begin with the end in mind" - and keep it there! While you work toward the finish line, you must keep your focused on it; pre-live the experience and keep pushing towards it and ensure you finish strong. Finishing strong requires focus, discipline, self-control, endurance and determination.

Having a victory mindset is the key to finishing. It separates the winners from the losers. When you finish, it means that you have prepared in advance, kept the end in mind from the beginning and you have learned and integrated lessons along the way. Finishing is what winners do! You cannot win if you quit along the way. It does not mean you won’t come across stumbling blocks and challenges along the way neither does it mean things will always go smoothly. It simply means you did all you could and never gave up until completion.

One finishing story that always motivate me is the story of John Stephen Aquari. A Tanzanian Olympian who struggled to complete the 1968 Olympic marathon after he fell during the race cutting and dislocating his knee. As he pushed himself through the pain and one (1) hour after the race had already been won, John Stephen Aquari ensured he crossed the finish line. When asked by a reporter why he didn't quit since the game had already been worn, he replied ”My country did not send me to 5,000 miles to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.” You can click HERE to watch the video. You may not finish first or on time but finishing a race or a task fuels your passion and keeps you inspired. No wonder Stephen Aquari finished 5th in the marathon at the 1970 Commonwealth Games two years later even with his bad leg. No matter what your goal is, ensure you achieve it not for the sake of winning or the reward but for what will become of you after you go across the finish line.

John Stephen Aquari

Are you prepared to finish what you have started? Or are you still toiling on it? Can you finish that on time? or in a lifetime? By all means, you have to be finishers. Whatever you have started should be realized, must be completed, or finished as long as it is positive and good for humanity. Sometimes it does not matter if someone else finish before you, it only matters that you did not quit. The finish line is never that far. Just a few steps more and you are there! Never let distractions or hindrances stop you from finishing. Strive to finish well and strong.

START NOW........Don't let 'later' become 'never'.

One of the obstacles between and individual and his goal in life is to simply to simply start with his plan for the future. Getting started is the beginning of the action part in a pursuit of your Purpose, Dream or Vision. Having discovered or decided what you really wanted, the next step is usually as simple as getting started.  Just like Mark Twain rightly puts it “the secret of getting ahead is getting started”. If you don’t start anything, you will never achieve anything.

Getting started is indeed one of the keys of success. To get things done you have to overcome Inertia in life. Many times this inertia is caused by lack of self-confidence or fear of failure. But the question you should ask yourself “what do you have to lose?” After all you‘ve been at the crossroads for a while knowing what you want but afraid to take the initiative. How many times are you willing to say, "I could have or should have done that?" Think of it this way; if you start, you have a chance, if you don't, your chances are zero. Which do you think would be better for you? You really have to trust your abilities and get started. You can adjust on your way! Besides, to have tried and failed is much better than having failed to try. Usually, it is the start that stops most people. Don't let it stop you! I am aware getting started sometimes is the hardest thing to do but you really have to overcome your fears and get started. Quit talking about it and Start from where you are. No Olympic athlete reaches the podium without starting....and that habit of starting began years ago - initially from a place of self-discipline and routine practice until it became part of who they are.

Getting started is the best for you. Even when you don't know where you are going, just get it started. It is only those who get started that need direction and God will first answer those that have taken the first step of faith by getting started even when they had no direction, unlike you, just sitting down there stagnant and defeated. Those in the medical profession, especially the ambulance, seem to have a better appreciation of the importance of getting started in order to keep a trauma patient alive. Even when the victim is badly injured and gasping for breath, they keep talking to him to get started while they await rescue operatives.

Getting started is an act of faith. Step out of your nest and get started. Step into faith and continue moving, the direction will surely come as long as you are moving. Sometimes, it may appear like you are not moving but you must never give up, it's just taking you through all the possibilities. It is a period of thoughtful reflection, analysis and strategic planning. While it may seem to the outside observer that nothing is happening at this time, those types of activities are very important as they help identify, define and clarify the problem.

Getting started requires a decision and then acting on that decision. Delay the start and you stop yourself from progressing. He who doesn't start spends his life standing still but in reality and relatively moving backwards compared to those who have started. Getting started starts in your heart, moves to your head and then to your hands and feet. It initiates momentum.

Start where you are today and you will be amazed where that leads you tomorrow. Sometimes in life it is not about trying to fix something that is broken, it is simply about starting something new and creating something better. If you do not get started you might never find the changes you desire, get over your fears and start today! Remember, “A journey of a thousand miles starts with just one single step”. You don’t have to see the whole staircase before you take the first step. Have faith, keep moving and ensure you finish strong. Remember, “You don’t have to be great to start, you simply have to start to be great”. I love you.

With your BELIEF:.........You can never be wrong.

Good day friends. Great to have you here again. I want you to quickly pause and reflect on these questions. “What do you believe?” “How does your belief affect you”? “What can your belief fetch you”? Believe me friend, life is largely about what you believe! It is about believing in who you are, in the people around you. It is about believing in your vision and of course your mission. It is about believing that brighter days lie ahead. Belief creates the actual fact of life. The fact that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle. That to accomplish great things, you must not only plan but also believe. I love the way The English Clergyman; Robert Bolton puts it “a belief is not merely an idea that the mind possesses, it is an idea that possesses the mind”.

Belief is the foundation for all pursuits in life, either negative or positive. Belief offers hope. It brings excitement and a brighter hope for the future. With belief, you can overcome the challenges/obstacles of life. Belief makes things possible even when you can't physically see the possibilities. Belief brings sunshine after darkness, and hope for change in life. Just like the bible rightly puts it “all things are possible to those who believeth”. Believe that it can be done and then it is done.

One thing I love about ‘belief’ is that you are always right no matter what you believe. Either you believe you can or you believe you can’t ….you can’t be wrong.

Belief is more of an internal thing. You have to believe within before you can believe outside. You must be able to visualize what you believe before it becomes real and the more you believe the more real it becomes. When you translate your emotion into action, it will make what you believe becomes a reality. Write your beliefs down. There's something magic that happens when you physically write down your beliefs that helps transform them into reality.

 Every man or woman must be willing and able to give his/her life for what he/she believes! Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, [and yet] they give up their lives to that little or nothing. You only have one life to live, therefore you must live it the best way you believe in living it. To surrender what you are, and live without belief is more terrible than dying young. What and who you choose to believe really matters. Believe in yourself and truly you have hope for the future. Believe in others and they can also have hope to achieve their goals. Enjoy the rest of your day friends. Remember never to stop believing in YOU.