On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In a recent post on the Writer Unboxed blog, author Rachel Toalson shared the personal benefits of finishing what we start. Here’s an excerpt from that post:

Confidence is a huge benefit, isn’t it? Writers regularly struggle with self-doubt. Am I good enough? Can I do this? Do I have what it takes to be successful in this industry?

Seeing a project through to the end helps us overcome our persistent self-doubt. We prove that we are good enough (though that never changes; even if we don’t finish our projects, we are always good enough). We can do this. We have what it takes.

Sure, the finished project may not look quite like what we wanted and envisioned, but we persevered, and that’s what really matters—because revision is where the magic happens anyway (so be sure to start and finish that piece of the project, too). We can be proud of our efforts at whatever stage we start and finish.

Finishing our projects consistently also develops our creative discipline, which helps us overcome writing resistance. Remember the dopamine? We want to do the things that give us pleasure.

Writing is a discipline. Just like I train my body and endurance as a runner and I get out there and slog through even my unenjoyable runs, we train our minds and creativity and sharpen our writing skills by writing consistently—and seeing a project through to the end.

And lastly, finishing our projects underlines our own credibility. We can have faith in ourselves that not only can we do it, but also we will do it.

Source: Writer Unboxed.