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Redefine Success Pt. 2 - Complete a Project · The Daily Writer

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Smart Business Writing Podcast, the show that helps you share your message, increase your impact, and grow your business through the power of writing.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: This is the second part of a four-part mini-series on redefining your success.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: And if you haven't had a chance to go back and listen to part one, I encourage you to do that because it lays the foundation for everything else that we're talking about in this short series.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: But just as a refresher, the main idea here is that it's important to define success so that you can set yourself up for a win every single week.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: And we're talking about practices and habits that are within your control and that can set you up for those wins every week.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the second tip that we're focusing on on this episode, and that is the importance of completing a project.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: I was talking with a good friend of mine the other day.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: We went to lunch and we were talking about how satisfying it is to hold a finished book in your hands.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: He's a missionary, a very intelligent, awesome leader on the mission field and in so many other ways.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I was excited to hear that he's going to finally start working on his first book.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: I've been talking to him about writing a book for a really, really long time.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: And in fact, we went to college together.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm so excited for this process to finally start happening for him.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm excited to help him with this process as well.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: But it was really fun to help him kind of envision what the final product would be.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: That there is nothing quite like getting that book in the mail and holding that print book in your hands and seeing your name on it and seeing the other cool things that can come as a result of having that finished product.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: That's something that is really fun and really, really exciting.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Now, on the flip side of that, I've also experienced what it's like to only have half of a book finished.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I can tell you with complete honesty that I've got several half-finished books that are still sitting on my hard drive.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: I've had the experience of writing a few books and having those finished, but I also know what it's like to only do a project halfway and to have it eat at you sometimes for years because you haven't completed it.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Well, maybe you've had that experience as well.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: I know I certainly have.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: And we can all probably relate to what William James said, and this is a very famous quote of his.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: He said, There's nothing so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: And man, is that true?
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because those uncompleted tasks, those uncompleted projects, they just sit in our minds and they eat at us for months or even years at a time.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we all know that there's lots of value in finishing projects because they give us the confidence to move on to the next thing.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: We learn things from those finished projects, and they just give us the motivation and the energy to tackle something that's even bigger next time.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: So my question for you is what can you finish this week that will set you up for a win?
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not talking about just writing or business projects.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I encourage you to finish things that are tangible and real.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: I was talking with a group of guys just a few days ago about writing and business, and we got to talking about how doing stuff around the house often brings more satisfaction than the quote unquote work we're doing.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason is because you can tangibly see what you finished.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: You know, when you fix a sink, when you unclog a drain, when you build a shelf, when you put up Christmas lights or take them down, whatever the case may be, that brings a sense of satisfaction because you can feel it, you can see it, you can touch it.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Just a few weeks ago, I built my son a bunk bed in his room.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: He's 15 years old.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's actually quite a fancy bunk bed.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: It took almost a week solid for me to do this.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: And it's a of course it's a bunk bed, you know, so it he sleeps up high, and then it has a desk underneath it.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it was a lot of work, but I have an immense amount of satisfaction because I completed that project.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, it the most satisfying part of the whole thing, honestly, was that when it was done, my wife said, you know what?
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's so cool to see this finished project.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: We've talked for years about doing this, and now it's so cool to finally see it done.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: And that was all the affirmation that I needed.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: The fact that not only did I feel good about completing it, but that she felt really good about it as well.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I would encourage you this week to think about what you can finish?
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: What can you do that will give you a sense of satisfaction?
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: And not just in your work, but in your everyday life as well.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's fixing something around the house, maybe it's patching a hole in the drywall, maybe it's building a little something, maybe it's cleaning up an area or whatever it is.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: And by the way, cleaning also counts as a project.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's really important to keep a clean and tidy workspace.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I believe that your physical space reflects your mental space.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: If your environment is cluttered, chances are very high that your mind and emotions are cluttered as well.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: And this is why when you clean up an area, that gives you a sense of relief.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: You have a sense of satisfaction.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: So if you feel blocked in your creative work or your writing, or you feel blocked in some way, just clean up your workspace.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Go and clean something, and that will give you, I think many times, a great sense of satisfaction.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: I also want to say this before I wrap up this episode, that finishing things is what it means to be a professional.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: It means that we ship our product.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: It means that when we're working for some that we're working on something for ourselves or for a client, in the words of Seth Godin, we ship it, we complete it, we put it out there for the world.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: We don't keep messing with it for years on end.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: We finish it and move on to the next thing.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: In our work, specifically, it means that we're consistent and reliable.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to encourage you to give yourself a consistent win by finishing projects, whether they're big or they're small.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: And we will all find a lot more satisfaction when we actually get stuff done that's been hanging on and taking up mental and emotional space.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: So don't be afraid, dive in, tackle that sucker this week, and have that sense of satisfaction by completing a project.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: What are some projects that you have completed lately, and what kind of sense of satisfaction did that bring you?
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: You can shoot me a message on Twitter at Kent Sanders or also email me at Kent at KentSanders.net.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for listening.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: I truly appreciate it.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: I know I say it all the time, but I really do mean it.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that your writing has the power to change people's lives.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you in the next episode.