Finish Strong

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 13:57:00 -0400

“I realized the secret to success is finishing! And not just finishing, but finishing strong!” – Dr. Eric Thomas

"I learnt that the only way to get a thing done is to start to do it, then keep on doing it, and finally you'll finish it, even if in the beginning you think you can't do it at all." — Langston Hughes, The Big Sea

“I'm racing against me. As long as I come across the finish, I'll be okay.” Ruben Studdard

We are in the home stretch, the back nine, the last miles, or whatever clichéd metaphor you’d like to use for approaching the end of the semester. As we do, I want to encourage you to finish strong. I know that sounds trite, but that doesn’t make it less genuine. Asking more of you right now, when you may already be pushing as hard as you can or stretched too thin, is unfair. It is challenging to push through when you’re already running on fumes. I could say catch a second wind, or find another gear, but you and I both know it isn’t that easy. It, in fact, can be quite grueling. What I want you to know is that hard doesn’t mean impossible. This is the way. It was never promised to be easy.

“Remember this in the darkest moments, when the work doesn’t seem worth it, and change seems just out of reach: out of our willingness to push through comes a tremendous power . . . use it.” – Stacey Abrams

“Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.” – Don Miguel Ruiz

“Don't settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that's in us.” – Angela Bassett

“Have a vision of excellence, a dream of success, and work like hell.” – Dr. Samuel DuBois Cook

There’s an African proverb that says that smooth seas do not make skillful sailors. The same holds true for you. You may be mastering your seas and cruising right along. If so, keep it up AND help someone else for whom it isn’t going as well. You may feel like the rough waters have tossed you around a bit, but you’re making progress. If so, batten down the hatches and keep pushing. Get help if you need it, help others if you can. You may be about to capsize, already be in the lifeboat, or worse yet treading water and holding on for dear life. If so, you’re still in the fight. Seek out help not now, but right now. Waiting for a rescue is a risky strategy in a storm. But this isn’t Titanic, there is room for you. If someone is telling you or showing you that there isn’t, float on and find help elsewhere. If you can take steps to get the help you need, take them. If you can’t or don’t know how, there are people all around who can help you figure that out. Blow the whistle to let them know you’re there and you need some assistance. Or respond if they’ve already reached out to you.

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”– Winston S. Churchill

"Dreams don’t have to just be dreams. You can make it a reality; if you just keep pushing and keep trying, then eventually you'll reach your goal. And if that takes a few years, then that's great, but if it takes 10 or 20, then that's part of the process." — Naomi Osaka

"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." – Vidal Sassoon

The next question for you to ask and answer is what does a successful semester look like for you at this point? You may have planned on the Dean’s list or even a 4.0, all A’s everywhere. Maybe that’s still in reach, maybe not. Maybe that wasn’t even the plan. Maybe you had a class, or two, or a few, where the goal was just to get through and get done with it. Bet. That works too. Maybe there’s no plan. Maybe you’ve got so much going on that you’re just trying to put one foot in front of the other until it’s over. Or maybe your goals and plans aren’t even about school. Maybe they’re about the other things that matter in your life. Since you’re a student, that is less than ideal, but still workable. What matters most isn’t what was, but what is. Today is the perfect day to revisit (or come up with) goals for the rest of the semester and a plan to get there.

· What are your goals for the rest of the semester?

· Have your grades so far put you in a position to reach your goals?

· What opportunities are left for you to get to where you want to be?

· Are you going to have to prioritize some things to get to a satisficing solution?

I didn’t say optimal, or best, I said satisficing. That is a real word, I didn’t make it up. It is a portmanteau of satisfy and suffice created by Herbert Simon that I learned in grad school. I always think of getting a ball to the top of a hill. Instead of pushing and pushing to get a ball to the peak of the hill and then straining to keep it balanced there, get to a plateau that is good enough and leave it there. Be careful though with how high you decide “good enough” is. It is easy to set that plateau too low. Once you set your goals, make your plan. Then, with your plan in hand, get busy getting.

“Success, to me, is just doing things that I'm really proud of.” – Dua Lipa

“Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.“ – Bradley Whitford

"Wake up determined, go to bed satisfied." — Dwayne Johnson

“You are the storyteller of your own life, and you can create your own legend, or not.“ – Isabel Allende

What am I asking you to do?

1. Be realistic. If you want to get an A in a class, but the best you’ve been able to do is a C-, that is a tall order. All it means though is that what you have been doing isn’t working. Find a different approach, more of the same likely won’t get you there.

2. Be specific. “I’m going to study more” is not a plan, it’s a slogan. Words are wind, plan for action.

3. Know what’s coming up. One of the worst things that can happen is failing a test or missing an assignment because you didn’t know when it was or when it was due. Go through all your syllabi and make sure that you mark when everything that you have to turn in or take is. Mark it on a calendar that you look at EVERY DAY.

4. Don’t know where to start? Start HERE. The Academic Success Center here at UMBC, they have a whole page of resources to help you succeed.

5. Celebrate your accomplishments. When you hit a goal no matter how small, make the time to celebrate. You’ve earned it. Then get back to work.

6. Dedicate focused time to your work and put forth maximum effort during that focused time.

7. Take care of YOU. As you move, take care of your whole self in real and tangible ways. If you need help, get help. If you need help finding the help, just say something, there are lots of people here for you.

8. Take care of your business. You are here to get your degree. Life requires balance for sure but keep the main thing the main thing. You have persevered through all that you have been through. Keep that same energy and get this done. The world will be there when you get there. Humankind needs to see the brilliance you have to offer.

Now go be GREAT!

Any views or opinions expressed in this missive are solely the author’s and do not represent that of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County or any programs, departments, or partners affiliated with UMBC. While I make every effort to ensure that the information I am sharing is accurate, I welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors.