To End or not to End

You're at a gathering with friends and your social battery has run out.

You've been volunteering for your child's school function all afternoon, you're exhausted, and you see that everything is taken care of. Can you leave?

Your favorite show was a-mazing for the first 6 seasons, but then things start to go downhill. The plot is getting out of hand. The characters have no more emotional space to develop.

I started this newsletter in 2022, my first ever, and told myself I would commit to writing 10 articles on a regular basis. That was the only milestone I was willing to endure. And I miraculously did it.

In fact, for a good while, I genuinely enjoyed thinking of new ideas, writing drafts, revising my writing, then making fun graphics in Canva. By the time I hit 8 articles, I felt like I had more in me. I then committed to write 20 articles.

At about article 15, I started to lose steam. I realized that my ideas were indeed limited. My writing wasn't improving much. This was the equivalent of a social battery running low, the motivation to help runs thin, and when your favorite character on your favorite Netflix show is annoying you.

Pay a visit to the idea and project graveyard

If there were a graveyard for all my projects that have died a slow death, it would span out as far as the eye can see. So many starts with no finishes. So many brilliant lights that managed to go dim over time.

None of us wants to look honestly at what appear to be failed attempts or unfinished projects. It hurts and it deflates.

It really is okay to end things

But you know what? How about we re-frame moments like these as something we create closure for, and then move on from? Shouldn't it be okay to end things?How else can we make room for new endeavors if our mental and emotional vessels are occupied by shriveled up ideas past their prime?

For all of us who start things but have trouble finishing, I recommend you visit some of your own idea and project graveyards and do an official farewell. Then, look up, and begin fresh with your new project, bringing forth all the wisdom gained from the past.

2024 awaits you. Make room for it!