We are a world of beginners. We are constantly beginning new things without end, but it takes a real ending for most of us to begin something that lasts.

It seems so obvious, but we can’t have peace that lasts without ending the war first. It could be a minor war of words or a full blown conflagration, the size is irrelevant - the beginning is the end.

Even a dyed in the wool sot knows you can’t begin sobriety by drinking a toast to it. You have to end before you begin.

We are not so adept at endings. We keep pretending that a new beginning is right around the corner while holding on to an unending fairy tale.

Beginning has a lot to do with dreaming; ending has a lot to do with doing.

We don’t act as much on endings as we do beginnings.

There isn’t a football coach alive who hasn’t said this to his team in the playoffs: “You have to play 60 minutes.” That means to go on to the next round you have to play this game until the end.

Completion and endings are the pillars that frame our future. Without them, the building won’t get off the ground.

The people I have the hardest time doing business with are “Loose Ends.” These are the folks who do a lot of beginning and rarely complete anything - mostly talk, little action. They are usually the most surprised when the end comes - meaning someone else has to end their job for them by firing them.

You can’t win a race unless you finish, and you can’t begin anew without ending “an-old.”

Talk to anyone at a dating service or to anyone who is dating and you will find the number one thing that prevents a new relationship getting past the beginning point is constant talk about the old flame. The beginning can’t begin without an end.

Most of us do not learn from our mistakes because we don’t recognize them as mistakes. So our challenge is: We have to end our mistakes to have a chance at a new beginning.

How does one begin to recognize mistakes so they have an opportunity to end? Look at your situation in life right now. You got exactly where you are right now by a precise set of repeated mistakes that you have made. CAUTION: If you just went off in your head to find someone else responsible for your mistakes, you are trapped in a world without end.

When you take a look at yourself in the mirror, warts and all, you will find what needs to come to an end. There is no hiding place for mistakes when looking in the mirror.

Ending your mistakes takes courage. It begins with taking responsibility for them. That means to recognize that the only impediment to a new beginning is a never ending defense of your actions.

As we begin a brand new year, we have the best chance to begin more things that last if we end things that, up to this point, have been everlasting.

Suggestion: If you want to make a purchase that will last, invest in a mirror. It will help you end that which won’t allow you to begin.

 

All the best,

John