What is it that finishing is never anywhere near as thrilling as starting? You know what I'm talking about. Where the initial exhilaration of an amazing idea so quickly turns into the 'ho-hum' of just another thing on the to-do list...
We love the rush of over-stimulation that comes with the new. The energy that comes with curiosity, discovery and experimentation. The moment our creations become predictable, or we come too close to actually being successful, we back off, turning ourselves down and turning our projects off.
There is this moment in every project where you can make the choice to be bored and let your brilliant idea atrophy into nothing, or you can ask "Who or what can I add to this project that will expand it beyond my imagination?"
When we aren't in the conclusion of 'this is how I have to create this', we can make every iteration and forward movement exciting. Finishing once again becomes an adventure because you are constantly asking what you can create with your idea that you haven't considered before.
"It's not your project that got boring... it was YOU! (Sorry!!)"
Expansion doesn't have to mean more work. It can be adding people who will do the work you don't wish to do. It can be simplifying your creation so that it makes you more money for less work. It can be talking about the things no-one else talks about in ways that invite more people to your ideas.
When Seth Godin talks about shipping, he's talking about finishing. About putting your ideas into the world so others can enjoy them. There's a hedonism in doing that - hedonists are pleasure seekers. Imagine a world where you and your clients are always seeking pleasure... would you be bored with your ideas? Or would you be always asking what can you create that will up the pleasure quotient in the world?
Think about the last project you finished...
>>> Did you receive pleasure from making something that no-one else can?
>>> Did your creation give others pleasure?
>>> Did it open the doors to creating and generating more pleasure?
>>> Did it make the world more beautiful?
>>> Did finishing it give you more energy?
When we don't finish, we are avoiding pain so that we cannot have pleasure. Hedonism isn't selfish. It's a creative, generative energy that invites the entire world to more!
>>> Do you have way too many unfinished projects sitting around? Download the FREE Creativity Lab Starter Kit that shows you how to choose which project to finish next. You'll love it! It takes the pain out of choosing! <<<