The Power of the Last Rep
Checking in on your Resolutions and Finishing Well
As a Coach, one of the worst observations I can make is an athlete who fails to finish a rep. Whether it’s running 199 meters off a 200-meter practice rep or only completing seven reps of an 8-rep pull-up routine, not finishing is not finishing. It’s also a signal of who’s dependable and who’s not—who has grit and who doesn’t.
The last rep of anything is vitally important not only to our physical maturity but also our mental and psychological maturity. Finishing well helps develop the resolve necessary when conditions to succeed aren’t fortuitous. When your back is against the wall, and you see no way out, if all you’ve ever practiced is not finishing well, you’ll give into hopelessness, which inevitably transforms into despair. At that point, most people look for a magic solution that doesn’t exist to fix their problems, but they’ve never fought through the discomfort of finishing well. They lack the necessary tools to find their way through adversity.
Perhaps that’s you here at the end of the year. Think back to the beginning of this year or refer to your resolutions and goals. How are you doing with those? Do you want to give in to not finishing well because of the busyness of this time of year? Are your goals seemingly too far out of reach to complete? If so, don’t let that stop you from finishing what you started. Keep working at what you started even if you know you won’t get the outcome you were hoping for. It would help your mindset move forward if you experienced a sense of accomplishment.
You may wonder, “How am I accomplished if I finish something but the outcome isn’t successful?” You experience accomplishment if you follow your intentions because outcomes aren’t always guaranteed. As author Joshua Medcalf writes in *Burn Your Goals*, “We don’t have control over outcomes, but we do have control over how we use our time. Time is the only resource that is the same for everyone regardless of how much money you make, your race, or where you live. We only get 86,400 seconds every day.” If you spend time sulking in regret rather than finishing or staying true to your mission, you’re actively working against your accomplishments.
So, as we begin winding down this year, consider finishing well. Finish well if you’re in school, and it’s nearing the end of the semester. If you have athletic or fitness goals—finish well. If you’re at the end of a business quarter—finish well. Don’t be seduced by the twinkling lights and the warmth fire of comfort—finish well. Don’t worry about how you’ll be perceived—finish. Don’t concern yourself with outcomes—finish.