People remember how you finished not how you started

Fear of failure is a recurring topic I hear quite a bit when talking with people about starting something and daily habits and success.

Here’s a new perspective on it.

I was listening to “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” and heard John Kasich, governor of the US state of Ohio, say, “People remember how you finished not how you started.”

During interviews, they’ll often ask me how I got started with Writing Every Day, but we don’t dwell on it. We usually gloss over it and get to:

1. What are you doing now?
2. What are you doing tomorrow?

The questions:

1. What did you do yesterday?
2. What did you do to get started?

might be there, but they’re less interesting.

I agree.

Yes, I cannot downplay how important it was to Get Started and get past both Day Zero and Day One, but in my humble opinion, it’s what you did later, what you kept doing, what you’re doing now and what you’re doing tomorrow that is more important.

Yes, starting is important, but it’s just that: a start. A kick, a spark, a moment, a decision. But then what? What did you do with that spark? How did you take it and run? Where are you now and where are you going?

In case you’re stuck with starting, remember what he said, “People remember how you finished not how you started.”

So get started and let me know how you’re doing.