Have you ever started something that you decided later you didn’t want to finish? Did you stick to it because you felt bad about dropping it?  But secretly inside you kind of knew it would be a flop or that you just weren’t into it?

How many of you always try to finish what you start? Is it because you think you’re supposed to?

There’s a growing epidemic among creatives, entrepreneurs, and people who are a little bit of both.

Or at least that’s what “they” want you to think.

You know – the people who say that it’s always a bad thing if you’re:

⇢ Not finishing
⇢ Not following through
⇢ Not being proactive
⇢ Not making a decision
⇢ Not focusing

But are those people right?

Is it wrong to trash something you’ve started?

I say no.

And that’s why today’s content creation post is going to be a little bit different…last week I shared with you the how it’s possible to create a ton of great content.

I’m going to share with you another side of creation.  You’ll learn:

• The reality + result of not finishing something
• How hesitation helps you find your reason for calling it quits
• And why your content creation strategy means nothing without this one ingredient

And – hopefully, when we’re done today – you’re going to realize why dropping that fluff is the best thing you can do to improve your business, your launches, your future.

What happens when you stop what you’re doing

It’s pretty simple really.

Don’t finish – and you have nothing to show.

Your idea is still in that amorphous, half-fleshed out stage.

The lack of completed action means no launch, no finished book, no new strategies or promotions to push your business forward.

So – good, bad, right, wrong. If you don’t finish – you don’t launch.

There’s a clear result or outcome.

As long as you know that – you can move on – expect a different outcome and you’ll be extremely disappointed.

Stop driving and you don’t get to your intended destination (but is that always bad?).

When hesitation calls pick up the phone

When you get that feeling that you should stop or drop a project, a blog post, a product, a launch, what do you do?

Even if you’re entrenched in something – have made announcements – people are “expecting” something, it’s actually better to stop if you’ve got doubts and regroup a little.

Just like a wedding that doesn’t feel right – you can stop – delay – change your mind.
You’re allowed. I don’t care how many people expect you to do – you get to change your mind.

PLUS…

Hesitation can give you:
• clarity on whether you’re really talking to the right people
• confidence that you are offering something valuable to those right people
• time to digest feedback that may have caused the hesitation in the first place
• a chance to change your approach, schedule, email, sales page
• ideas to product improvements
• permission to stop

Don’t deny that pause.  Listen to it.

When you shouldn’t quit

Sure there are things that SHOULD be left undone.
Or things that have lost value in our lives.
Or that we’ve lost passion for…
Those things ⇢ make sense. Right?

But undone life, creations, passions we want and lose sleep over – the stuff we chase after for years but never reach…it’s those that really hurt when we suddenly stop doing them with no real thought or clear decision on.

Why is it happening?

Is it on purpose?

Are you purposely stopping yourself from living bigger, doing more, achieving great things, all that good stuff?

Is it one of these reasons? Fear of NOT finishing ….. or fear OF finishing?

Think about it and move on only when you’re certain and can answer.

A case for flaking

I have a tough time with words like flake, inconsistent, fickle… people who saw me have different jobs (all doing the same things for the record) somehow saw me as being this transient who could never settle.

Thank goodness for that I say.

What they didn’t see is me bringing projects to completion – everything from my spec script for a sitcom, my dramatic screenplay, the album I planned, wrote, and produced. Training and getting certified in less than 1 year to be a pilates instructor.
Yes – they are all over the map.

All those things happened because I wanted to do and finish them.

But in that same way – the times when someone saw my flaky side, they were seeing me decide not to do something.

Heck – even writing this series of content creation posts – I dropped my approach completely in order to share a deeper understanding of how to create content.

There is a time to drop it like its NOT hot.

– when it no longer excites you
– if you realize the idea was only marginal and boring
– when you weren’t speaking to any one person in particular
– when you realized that it seriously sucked!
– if you question whether you wrote the post already

So – if you suspect you’re over a post – rip the bandaid off – decide quickly and then get back to work.

Have you ever felt like not finishing a project, a blog post or even canning a product?
Tell me about it below in the comments!