Finish What I Start

I have decided to make my mantra for 2012 "Finish What I Start."  I have so many unfinished projects.  Not finishing projects is not making me a happy camper and it does NOT glorify God.

I'm so good about getting big ideas and being excited about them, then I lose my enthusiasm and it never gets to completion.

This leads to clutter, unnecessary spending, guilt over having spent time and money to get things started, which in turn leads to feelings of low self-esteem because I feel poorly about myself.  I also feel overwhelmed. 

I see so many unfinished projects I don't know where to start.  I feel like people in the TV shows "Clean House" and "Hoarders" who have so much stuff they can't even start cleaning their homes.  They are too overwhelmed to even know where to begin.  I feel like that because I'm being pulled in so many different directions to this project or that project.  Then a great idea hits and I want to start yet another project.  "Oh this new project will be different," I tell myself.  When I finish this latest project it will bring me happiness and fulfillment.  This project needs to be started and it will make me better in some way.  (I'm going to say right now that in no way does my home look like a home of a hoarder, but I have the same feelings of overwhelm that they feel.)  You know, right now I'm looking at my Christmas tree.  It is beautifully decorated except it is missing one thing, the star at the top.  We decorated the tree before we left for Thanksgiving.  I wanted the house to be done when we returned.  I just ran out of time and the star was in another box and I just haven't made the time to dig it out and put it on.  It's just lots of little stuff like that.  Sometimes though it is big things like huge craft projects.  It's just too many things that just aren't done.  Ugh!

Why do I stop working on the project?  Good question.  Sometimes I get bored.  Sometimes the project seems too big and daunting.  Sometimes other commitments pull me away from it and then I lose interest.  Sometimes the prep work is overwhelming like the area is cluttered.  It is easier to walk away.  Sometimes I lose something necessary to complete the project. 

You know, many projects could probably be finished in a day or less if I put my mind to it.

You know what else?  God loves me anyway, just who I am.  It is me who doesn't love myself so much when I think about these failed attempts.

So I focus on NOW, not even waiting for 2012 to concentrate on my motto of finish what I start.  I will look at each project I come across.  If I need to finish it, I will take steps necessary to do so.  If its not necessary and I have no desire, I will get rid of it.  My goal is to finish two projects for every one I start.  To say I won't start any new projects until I finish what I already have would be unrealistic.

I'm also going to try and record my accomplishments.  I'll try to finish my daily tasks before doing other things like the computer.

Thank you God for helping me do this. 

Dear God, through your divine grace and mercy, help me be highly successful in my projects and that throughout doing them and upon their completion you are glorified.  ~Amen~