When I was 14, I was criticized by one of my coaches for being a dilettante.

I signed up for a summer camp, where he was a counselor. Thinking I would love it and stay for 12 weeks, I cut that arduous tour of play down to a measly two weeks, to his chagrin, and impoverishment. (I think he was on a commission pay plan at the camp!)

I went out for a number of sports, he supported that, but my practice time was cut by the operetta in which, suddenly, I had a leading role.

Who knew I could sing?

Anyway, on a remote Native American village basketball court in New Mexico, he chastised me for being a flake.

“You’re going to have to finish what you start!” he admonished in the harshest tone I ever heard from this otherwise, low key, 6’-8” behemoth.

As you can tell, I never forgot his lecture, and I took it so seriously that I completed 5 college degrees, wrote a dozen books, and taught at 40 universities, and as you might imagine, all of these tasks required me to be a FINISHER.

But, as Paul Harvey was famous for saying, that’s just part of the story!

A few years ago I happened upon a book that entertained a thesis in direct opposition to that of my coach. It says, generally, most people are great finishers.

What we could use some help with is, STARTING.

Specifically, getting started is a problem, as you have no doubt noticed if you procrastinate.

This author’s adage could be summed up as “Well begun is half-done!”

We need to undertake more things, period, instead of concentrating on too few.

It’s an interesting point, worth examining.

I just wish I had that book at 14, to hand to my coach.

Then again, maybe I benefited from that lecture, after all!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman
www.customersatisfaction.com