When was the last time you really finished something? Like…set a deadline, got to that day and were able to step back and say, “Look what I did!”
Back in April, my wife and I decided to sign up for the National Stationery Show to launch her business into the world of wholesale product distribution. We didn’t fully understand what it would take, other than a lot of work in order to get ready in 6 weeks (most of the blogs we read recommend spending at least 6 months to prepare for the show…yikes!)
Seeing as I’m not the creative behind the business, I was fairly limited in what I could contribute to this endeavor. Thankfully, I was given a set of power tools a couple of Christmases ago…which meant I got to build the trade show booth! (cue Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor grunts).
After researching how to build a booth, planning lumber needs, making at least a dozen trips to Lowe’s and having to redo two sizable miscalculations…
it was done.
It surprised me, but on the Saturday my wife and I stepped back from the booth and looked at it totally finished for the first time was a huge moment. We had actually finished the booth…and thanks to my wife’s vision, it looked legit! As we closed the garage door and called it a day, I couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming sense of accomplishment I felt in us having completed the build.
Apparently, it had been a while since I charged myself to do something totally new and challenging — I owned the booth building process from start to finish.
And what’s more, the experience was accompanied by so many other emotions than just the elation of finishing: uncertainty (from having never been to the show before), frustration (from messing up), exhaustion (from lack of sleep), stress (from a short timeline), anger (from messing up again), pride and admiration (for the work ethic and vision my wife had throughout the process). The list goes on and on.
I think that’s the biggest reminder I was able to take away from the experience: accomplishing a goal is never going to be a straight-line path paved with chocolate bars and gum drops. It takes commitment, be it a six week timeline or a six year timeline. And things won’t always go smoothly.
The important thing to remember is that you had a reason for starting in the first place — don’t lose sight of that. The feeling you’ll get when you cross the finish line will be worth it.