Finish Strong!

One summer I received some unexpected feedback after holding a (summer) cadet leadership position at West Point.?I was told that I had started off really strong. I was conscientious and focused, the best leader in the group. However, as time passed, I lost my focus, lost my energy and lost my drive. I finished ranked in the bottom half of the group that summer. My supervisor told me to start strong and finish strong. I received similar feedback a couple more times over the next few years—especially when it involved a long-term project or position.

As time passed, it finally sank in. I am now continuously conscious of the importance of finishing strong. This is related to the concept of consistency which I have discussed previously.

When hiking the Incline, I regularly see people who have stopped twenty or thirty steps from the top.?They are gathering themselves or resting or something.?I don’t know.?But they’ve stopped. It makes me think about stopping short of our goals or stopping when we are so close we can see the finish line.

Similarly, I also see people who start out really strong as I did that summer at West Point, but by the time they reach the last step, they are traveling at a snail’s pace.

I don’t say anything to either group of hikers except to encourage them because, hey, they are out there doing something hard.

But for me, and because of the lessons I learned early in my military career, I want to finish strong.?

That is why my friend and I started running up the last thirty steps of Incline even though that is when we are most tired.

What did that do for me? I have found that finishing strong has had several benefits for me and likely for you too.

1. Finishing strong made me feel strong.

2. Finishing strong made me feel psychologically better for finishing a hard task on a positive note, giving me a sense of satisfaction.

3. Finishing strong demonstrated a commitment to excellence.

4. Finishing strong enhanced my reputation. People don’t always see how you got there, but they often see how you finish. If you finish strong, they are going to notice.?People are usually in disbelief when they see us running the last portion of the Incline.

Finish strong.?

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 The end of the matter is better than it’s beginning.

2 Corinthians 8:11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness?to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your ability.

Personal Reflection:

Can you think of examples in your life where you have let down instead of finishing strong?

In what areas of your life do you need to make sure that you finish strong?

What will finishing strong do for you?

How do you finish strong spiritually?