Make it to the Finish Line

Arya Stark stares at the castle across the river. The Hound – the big man who has been protecting her – asks her to not be afraid.

“I am not afraid,” says Arya.

“Of course you are,” says the Hound.

“You’re almost there and you’re afraid you won’t make it. The closer you get, the worse the fear gets.”

– Game of Thrones, S3E9

Why does finishing feel so daunting? Why do we start new projects only to add to the ever-growing pile of unfinished work?

There’s something about nearing the finish line that unsettles us. As we get closer, fear creeps in — slowly at first, then all at once. It appears out of nowhere and starts spreading its tentacles around us. Before we know, it starts strangling us, its force increasing with every step of our forward movement.

We push through, pretending to not notice. But it doesn’t let go. Soon its pressure is unavoidable.

We give in.

“Let me get to this tomorrow,” we think. Then tomorrow becomes next week. Next month. Soon, the momentum dissipates. The pile of great and yet incomplete projects grows bigger.

What is the source of this fear? Why would we give in to it when we have come so far?

Is it about the quality of work? Sure, that sounds plausible. We want our work to be perfect. It needs to improve. We can’t put out a shoddy piece of work out there that we know will be judged harshly, right? Fair. Then we should make it better and ship. What’s stopping us from doing that?

I believe this fear has more to it than what meets the eye. It runs deeper.

It isn’t about the work. It’s about us.

I feel it wants to stop us because it thinks we are not worth it. It whispers, You are not the kind of person who has the courage to get this done. You never see through things. You always back out. Don’t let it be any different this time.

It’s the same dread that stopped us from showing up when life needed us to. It’s the anxiety that stopped us from confessing our love and from speaking up to power. It’s the doubt that led us to imagine a better version of ourselves in an alternate universe instead of taking the action required of us in this world.

It’s the same fear that nudged us to pull back just when we were about to let go and become fully ourselves. It told us softly that this is not who you are.

This fear has become pervasive and entrenched in our lives. No wonder why we can’t seem to sail through hard projects and form tough habits. We quit as soon as the fear gets worse. And it does get worse. Every time.

When you put a pan of water on the stove and ignite the burner, the water stays still at first. It stays like that for some time. Then slowly bubbles start forming. These bubbles start growing bigger. They seem to resist the change. They start pressing at the surface, shouting at you to turn off the gas.

If you were to turn off the heat right at this point, you know what will happen. The bubbles will recede, the molecules will pop off and the water will go back to its still state. Sweet and calm.

But what if you don’t give in to their yelling. What if you raise the heat?

The water transforms into steam. A new state. An invigorating new avatar. More free and more powerful. Who would’ve thought, right?

Don’t let the fear hold you back. Don’t turn off the heat.

Turn it up. Finish the damn project.