Keep Going

The plague descended on my house last week. People were coughing and sneezing and moaning and sweating. I made chicken noodle soup, rubbed backs and watched The Parent Trap approximately a gazillion times. I also drank orange juice and immunity boosters like they were Dr. Pepper. Of course, they weren't, so I drank that, too.

As I emerged from the fog yesterday it dawned on me that I did none of the standard New Year's stuff. I'm not just talking about black eyed peas and kisses at midnight. Although, I didn't do those either. I hate black eyed peas and if you wonder why I didn't kiss anyone, reread the paragraph above. (The plague, people.) No, I'm talking about visions or resolutions or whatever spin you put on it when you write down what you plan to start but likely never finish. It's become such the norm that we have phrases like "New Year, New You." But we also joke about how January is for making plans, February is for starting and March is for returning to life as normal.

I love beginnings, so New Years has always been fun. I love writing down my plans for the year and addressing what changes I can make with a fresh start. But I'm the poster child for the January, February, March thing. Partly because I write down MY plans and those are often a bit different than God's plans. Partly because I set ridiculously unrealistic expectations for myself. Mostly, it's just because it's way easier to start than it is to finish.

I don't have a new master plan for 2014. My plan is to keep doing what God told me to do in 2013 (and 2012, 2011 and 2010, if we're being honest). My plan is to keep going when I feel like stopping, to reach the end when I want to quit. Some goals take longer to reach than you thought they would. Sometimes they fit neatly into 365 days, but more often than not, they don't. In those cases, I don't need to resolve to start. I need to resolve to keep going. I don't need to begin. I need to finish.

I need to finish...
Launching a website
Writing a book
Cleaning the guest room closet

What about you? 
Did you start something but never end? You still can. The finish line is still there. The goal is still waiting for you to achieve it. It may look different than you originally thought, but you can do it. Keep going. Breathe a little easier. Maybe you don't need to resolve to start. Maybe you need to resolve to finish.

The Little Engine That Could told himself "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..." In Finding Nemo they "just keep swimming, swimming, swimming, swimming..." You can do it. Even in the middle when it's hard. No matter what the calendar says. Keep going.

What do you need to keep going toward? What do you need to finish?
Let's do it together. Starting is the easy part. Ending is what takes guts.