It has recently been brought to my attention that some people see me as someone who doesn’t finish things, who doesn’t stick with things to completion. I think this is a bit simplistic way to look at my life, likewise it is simplistic to say reflexively that it isn’t true. This comes from a person who will be unnamed, but who is not in a position to talk this way about other people. Normally this flavor of bullshit wouldn’t take one second of my time, but it has bothered me enough to take a second look for several reasons. Here is the simple view of my history:
High School: Completed
Bachelor’s Degree: Completed
1997 Marine Corps Marathon: Completed
1997 Metropolitan Opera Regional Finals: Completed
One fly in the ointment: Martial Arts. Whenever I have thought about this in the past, this is the only thing that sticks in my craw as being incomplete. Someday I would like to go back and take the black belt, I really feel that it would help me a lot. I have some other things to handle, but it is on the list. As far as projects go though, it’s definitely Dormant.
Fly number 2: The book. This is one of my major projects I have started, which deserves time and is highly rewarding, but always seems to get short shrift, the old procrastination. However, I do put time into it regularly and I think about it daily. I think I’ll be kind to myself and call this one one In Progress. Here is where the reward comes from thinking about things like this. Everything else outside of this list drops off sharply in priority, meaning and significance. I am going to take High School off the list, in acknowledgement of the fact that your normal, healthy person of average intelligence and reasonable discipline can take this one basically for granted with the minimum of effort. To be completely honest, I have to include Fly #3: WMA, and some mention of #4: Playtime Piano. I am going to look at #4 first. I would have to rank playtime as a large disappointment to me, on several fronts. First, I LOVED it. Secondly, I was VERY good at it. If I could’ve done it full-time I think I could’ve been at least a Regionally known instructor and in about 4 or 5 more years would’ve been preparing students for Conservatory Auditions. I was planning to go back to school for it. Thirdly, I made very little money at it in comparison to my travel costs. If I could’ve gotten them to come to me, I would have quickly been economically viable with it beyond my wildest dream of self-employment. So this is a source of grief to me, but I have a legacy in my star student David LLanso. I am not sure what I would have to do with this one to consider it complete. I’ll call this one just like a college undergrad class: Incomplete. OK- Fly #3: WMA. First, I did not love it. It took an enormous toll on me and Second, I lost my shirt on it and had to declare Chapter 13. I wish I had the dignity of Chapter 11….BUT- Thirdly, it wasn’t a total loss. I learned enough from it and as a result I expect to retire in my mid-fifties, at the minimum financially independent. The goal of WMA was to retire independently wealthy as soon as possible. WMA, having given me the knowledge to do so, I am going to call this one Completed. So, dropping High School gives me this reality check:
College: Completed
Marathon: Completed
Met Regionals: Completed
Playtime: Incomplete
WMA: Completed
The Book: In Progress
Martial Arts: Dormant
In a positive way I would call myself 4 for 7. Liberally rounding up yet looking at it quantitatively, I finish about 58% percent of what I start. However, if I complete the two projects I left hanging, I am 6 for 7, or 86%. I could still at that point change one on the list to categorical failure, a solid loss, and still go 5 for 7 or 72%. Making a list like this really is about dealing with a moment of truth, do you finish what you start? What is on your list? I think it might be easy to turn this kind of flashlight on others when its not going to look very good to turn it on yourself. There is a lesson here. As far as I am concerned, most people I know don’t even have a list like this to begin with, to look at and say, hey, maybe I can do better. What will I regret not finishing? What will you regret not starting?
