The finish line is in sight after a long race, do you sprint, keep the pace, slow down, or stop all together? Today I have a word of encouragement. When I was in the U.S. Navy Officer Program, we had strict guidelines on our physical fitness. Our PT Commander was a Major in the Marine Corps and he loved to run.
We ran three days per week at a minimum of 9 miles per run. The trails varied, but they all had one thing in common, the finish line. There was only one way to our building so no matter how long the run or the path we took, the last 1/4 mile was the same. The most interesting thing was to see how differently young men and women would approach the last leg.
The younger and motivated few would sprint as hard as they could in efforts to improve their time. Some were grateful to see the end and opted to slow down to a jog. I chose to continue my same pace until I reached the end. Those that really wanted to piss off the commander would slow completely and walk to the end. Trust me he didn’t like that option.
A word from Homer
Remember back to your high school English and Literature class. Did you ever read The Odyssey by Homer? It is a necessary part of any home library, pick up a copy here at Amazon. If you remember his journey, it didn’t need to last the 10 years that it did.
Odysseus’ journey could’ve lasted about 1/3 of the time it did. However, when he saw the finish line, he decided to lay down and take a nap. His crew suspected that he had a treasure in his possession and attempted to rob him. Well the treasure he had was a bag of wind from the god Aeolus. When his crew robbed him and opened the bag, they were basically blown back to the start. How would has journey been different if he hadn’t fallen asleep at the finish line.
Finish line advice from The War of Art
I spoke about this book in my recommended reading list post. Pressfield likens the rise of Resistance at the finish line to Odysseus’ journey as well. He says the internal resistance we feel to quit grows exponentially when we see the finish line. This resistance is pulling out all stops because it knows you are on the verge of going to the next level.
Our finish line does not signify the completion of our journey on earth, but the beginning of another journey. That is the true fear of the Resistance. If the journey we are on was the end, then the Resistance would be strong 24/7. But the simple fact is, it is the next journey that our internal struggle fights. It gives us the fear of the unknown to try to stagnate our growth.
My Story
This past February, I had to make a decision when seeing the finish line of one journey and the starting line of the next. April of 2019 I left my job in Corporate America to pursue a new journey as a writer and entrepreneur. The journey had its ups and downs, but in late January of 2020 I had a major break through.
For the first time in the previous 9 months I finally felt like I had direction to not only work in my passion, but to support my family. Through wise counsel and much prayer, Jess and I decided I would write ebooks on Amazon, check out my author page. She would manage my social media presence to grow a following.
I could see the finish line and the starting line of my next adventure. We made that decision on a Sunday morning. The plan was for the next Monday for me to shut myself in a hole and write my first ebook on Digital Marketing. The next morning I woke up and our plumbing was clogged.
No big deal, I would just grab the plunger and work through it. After a plunger attempt, a 25-foot manual snake attempt, and a 50 foot mechanical snake attempt, I opted to rent a hundred-foot mechanical snake from Sun Rental in Pullman. I had to remove my toilet as the head couldn’t fit down any access in our old farm house.
As you can see in the featured image, transporting that snake to my house created problems all in its own.
I broke down. The Resistance was in full force. It had been almost 5 hours into my day and I hadn’t written a single word. I sat in a parking lot shaking in anger, frustration and sorrow pondering what to do next. Should I simply give up. Two things happened next that helped me push past the resistance. First, I called Jess. Her words of encouragement helped me push past my initial freak out and move towards a solution.
Secondly, I called to see what it would take to get the window fixed and not only could they fit me in the next day, but we got an unexpected bonus check to pay for the damages. I don’t know if I would’ve pushed through this moment without those things. However, in the end I fixed the plumbing issue and the next day while our window was being repaired wrote my first book.
Finish Line encouragement
I want to encourage you today that when you pursue your inner creativity and start to see troubles, then you are likely on the right path. The challenge we all face when taking the harder path is that we have the choice to give up or get lazy when we see the finish line. Stay strong and push through that last leg of the race. If you want an accountability partner or simply someone to go through the journey with you, feel free to shoot me a message and we can connect: jonathanbbiles@gmail.com
Have you ever wanted to be a copywriter or looking for a side-hustle? Check out Nicki’s page. She got me started down this amazing journey.
Satisfaction in the bedroom is one of the most important components of a happy life. If you’re feeling stuck or looking for the next adventure. Check out Jessica B. and her lotions, potions and things that go buzz in the night!
Curious what I do on my free time when I am not writing?
Check out my business’ home page: CCSE
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