Don't fall prey to the "finish line" mindset

Want to know how to push a Navy SEAL to their limit? Parachute them into a small living space, toss in a couple of 19-month-old twins, don’t forget a pregnant wife on bed rest, pack their schedule full of video conference calls, and then tell them they can’t leave for perhaps a few months, maybe longer, who knows.

You’ve been through a lot this year. So much, in fact, that it’s easy to fall prey to a “finish line” mindset. It’s the perception that if you can just hang on a little longer—outlast the virus, the storm, the uncertainty—eventually you will cross a finish line and everything will be good again. 

But, if your happiness depends on the passing of a circumstance beyond your control, then it will always be just out of reach. Instead, try focusing on your wins and the rewards they bring. 

Admittedly, I’m not great at this. 

Let me give you an example:

 

Finish Line

Just need to get through this pregnancy, and then everything will be fine.

Just need to get Madefor further along, and then everything will be fine.

Just need to get vaccinated, and then everything will be fine.

When I focus on finish lines, I feel worse off and less in control. But, when I focus on the real wins underfoot, I see progress and find joy. 

 

Wins

Today, we started our day together as a family, watching the twins laugh and dance.

Today, Madefor connected two women battling cancer.

Today, I snuck in some micro workouts between meetings.

Find the wins.

Stop looking for the finish line—it doesn’t exist. The challenges you face today will fade, only to be replaced by new challenges tomorrow. So, instead of waiting for the relief of a finish line, focus on the certainty of a win. Start now. Then, find another, and another, and another. Get good at this, and you get better at everything, as the finish line mindset falls away.

I’m not sure what challenges I’ll face tomorrow, but right now, I’ve got two daughters screaming for me, and I get to be their hero. Mark it—win.