Be Someone Who Finishes Things

Key Concepts

• Decision to Persevere vs. Give Up: The core theme revolves around determining when to continue with a task or project and when to abandon it.
• Level of Personal Engagement and Desire: The importance of how deeply a task resonates with an individual's personal values, long-term aspirations, and emotional investment.
• Frustration as a Sign of Progress: The idea that hitting roadblocks and experiencing frustration can indicate unconscious progress and mental processing.
• The "Shiny Object Syndrome": The tendency to be easily distracted by new, exciting opportunities, which can hinder completion of existing tasks.
• The Importance of Finishing: The psychological benefit of completing tasks, even if they were not enjoyable, to establish a pattern of accomplishment.

When to Stick with Something or Give Up

The central argument of the video is that the decision to persevere or give up on a task hinges on two primary factors: how far along you are in the endeavor and the depth of your personal engagement and desire.

• Early Stages vs. Mid-Project:

  • If you are in the opening stages of a venture and already feel the urge to quit, it suggests that the task is likely not deeply important to you. In such cases, the advice is to give up and move on to something else.
  • However, if you are halfway or two-thirds of the way through a project, and it is something that genuinely matters to you, the strong recommendation is to not give up and to keep going.

• Defining "Important":

  • A task is considered "important" if it has been a long-held desire to build or create, if it resonates deeply within you, and if it has a significant personal effect and draws you in on a personal level. This indicates a strong, intrinsic motivation.

Understanding the Urge to Give Up

The video explores the reasons behind the desire to quit and how to interpret them:

• Indicators of Thin Engagement: If the reasons for wanting to give up are boredom, restlessness, distraction, or being drawn to a "new shiny object," it signifies that your initial level of engagement and desire was likely superficial. Such endeavors probably did not matter to you that much, and giving up is deemed acceptable.
• The Conflict of Deep Importance: When a task is very deep and very important to you, you might reach a point of frustration and contemplate giving up. However, a part of you will resist, recognizing how much it means to you and your deep involvement. This creates an inner conflict. The advice here is to push past this inner conflict and doubts to continue.

Frustration as a Signal of Unconscious Progress

A key perspective presented is that frustration during a challenging task is not necessarily a sign of failure, but rather an indicator of unconscious progress.

• Wheels Turning: When you are blocked and unsure of the next step, it suggests that your brain is actively working on the problem, even if you are not consciously aware of it. Your frustration is a sign that you are not aware of the progress you are making unconsciously.
• The Need to Push Through: The recommendation is to push through this frustration, as it signifies that solutions or breakthroughs are likely on the horizon.

The Case of Johannes Brahms

An anecdote is shared about the composer Johannes Brahms to illustrate the concept of frustration and eventual breakthrough:

• The Block: Brahms was working on a symphony and became completely blocked, to the point where he gave up on it because he couldn't figure out how to proceed.
• The Breakthrough: The following day, all the ideas suddenly came to him. This happened because he had "given up" in the sense of stepping away, but he was secretly hoping for a solution. This highlights that sometimes, a temporary pause or a shift in perspective, driven by a deep underlying desire, can lead to a breakthrough.

The Pattern of Finishing

The video emphasizes the psychological importance of completing tasks, even if they were not enjoyable.

• Establishing a Pattern of Accomplishment: Even if you no longer like a project, finishing it provides a sense of accomplishment: "I finished it. I did it. I actually accomplished it." This experience teaches you what it feels like to complete something.
• Avoiding Half-Finished Ventures: The danger of not finishing is setting a pattern of having "half dreams, half-ass kind of thoughts and wishes." The goal is to establish a pattern of actually finishing things to the end.

The Danger of Distraction and the "Shiny Object Syndrome"

The video warns against a common pitfall that can lead to a lack of accomplishment:

• Constant Distraction: Being someone who is always distracted by new and exciting opportunities, believing they are more fun than the tedious aspects of completing a current project, is a recipe for failure.
• A Troublesome Pattern: If this pattern of chasing newness is what motivates you, it can lead to significant trouble in life, as you will likely never finish anything.

Conclusion

The overarching takeaway is to cultivate a deep personal connection with your endeavors. When faced with challenges, differentiate between superficial disinterest and the frustration that arises from deep engagement. Recognize that frustration can be a sign of unconscious progress, and pushing through it, especially when you are significantly invested, is crucial. Furthermore, prioritize finishing what you start to build a pattern of accomplishment, rather than succumbing to the allure of constant distraction.