I had a catchup conversation with one of my best friends a couple of weeks ago. We were casually discussing our goals / progress and I shared some of the stories and poems I have been working on since we last spent time together. He then asked me a simple question “why haven’t you finished them?”
I began to explain myself and even as I heard my own voice, I could tell that most of my reasons were invalid – they were effectively just excuses and “excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.”
I have a tendency to strive for perfection when it comes to my writing and other aspects of my life but perfection does not exist as I’m sure I have mentioned a few times on my blog (that isn’t to say we shouldn’t work hard though).
I watched a short video clip today that reminded me of the conversation. It led with the statement ‘finished, not perfect’ and went on to extol the benefits and importance of finishing what you start – particularly in the creative industry.
I start and then stop many stories and poems that eventually get forgotten or pushed to the back of the pile. Whether they are to my liking or not, I have a duty to myself to complete what I start. It is likely that in a few years time I probably won’t be impressed by it anyway because I’ll have gotten better but the only way to get better is repetition and consistency (making changes when necessary).
In all honesty, this post is more for me than anyone else but if it helps someone then great! At times I agonise over posting various thing – which is why I frequently end up with nothing (I still wish I had a photographer following me around to photograph my outfits!)
This post is not perfect but at least it is finished.
Me Today You Tomorrow 