With all the passing and changing in life, and the torturous call towards the next goal, the further adventure, the bigger endeavour, we tend to pass by those moments when we have finally finished something.
Rejoicing is a choice we have to make. In celebrating the moment, letting ourselves experience satisfaction, taking in the milestone, we grow stronger and more substantial, we remind ourselves that it is worthwhile to keep walking.
Fulfilment is a state of mind, a conscious decision to focus on what is real, on the action, the pleasure of doing, making, creating, rather than that distant goal which seems unattainable but will feel like yet another place to outgrow when we finally reach it.
Then is a future here and now, it is on us to make any here and now a fulfilment.
From that moment when nothing seemed possible, through excruciating angst and anticipation, we got ourselves together, found a way to meet our people and our circumstances.
We grew, embraced and refined our game as dictated by the season, and somehow, miraculously, we made it through.
By then we know not to take the credit or bask in glory, but rather share our accomplishment with our crew.
From the starting blocks, the finish line feels lifetimes away; out of reach, on the other side of tremendous effort, frustration and obstacles, unattainable.
When it draws near, the rush and pressure to wrap it up take us on a spin, so carried away by the momentum that we catch the crossing in a blur.
Slowing down to take in the moment is hard, and it feels somewhat petty to look back at how far we’ve come, yet the acknowledgment is both deserved and timely.
Nothing is accomplished in absolutes. There is always something that can be better, a loose end, a piece that didn’t fit in the planning or the budget, accidental loss or damage…
As long as the overall goal and function are in order, it stills counts as finished. The rest is maintenance.
In waiting for perfection, we make it impossible to complete anything, because the goal is unattainable.
The momentous time eventually comes when we crack through, cross the no return point, and with that, engage everything we have into our goal.
We have prepared, rallied support, trained, practiced, acquired the useful resources, devised plans and reckoned our best chance and now, all is in motion.
There is pain, and loss, and sacrifice involved… but we knew that going in. Our willingness to pay the price is the reason we can eventually accomplish our aim.
Pursuing a goal means choosing to put our resources towards it and setting our values and priorities accordingly.
When we give up on the immediate requirements of our pursuit to safeguard a later superfluous goal or code, what we are really doing is sabotaging our endeavour.
Different values and goal will find our priorities idiotic and offensive, but our ends require our means, and until we get through this next step, the rest is out of reach anyway.
The crossing is done, and the temptation is to bask in glory, take the credit, to call on for more through sacrifice and grandiose gesture.
The more fitting action is to take in what has been achieved, stay true to our purpose and be grateful we had a chance to get here in the first place.
The glory of achievement is not in the finish line, it is in the connection with others, the acknowledgement of team work, the collective celebration of what was overcome, the shared joy.
Sticking to that moment when we made a difference means seeking specialness, aka separateness.
The nostalgia forfeits our availability to a future, and keeps us stuck in prideful ego.
Already Across
After completion