This weekend I spent many hours in front of the tv watching sports. It’s the 6 Nations Rugby tournament at the moment, and also my football team were in the FA Cup. So, I enjoyed watching men running round after balls…don’t judge me! As I was watching one of the rugby games, the commentator mentioned that the Scotland team had “white line fever” – where they could see the white line, so just went for it, despite several big men in their way, instead of looking up and seeing that if they passed the ball, someone else in acres of space could score easily.
And I had a lightbulb moment! That’s EXACTLY what I do! I see the finish line of a goal, project, article, day, anything, and I run towards it with grim determination, no matter how many obstacles appear. I fixate on that end line and keep churning towards it…even when I’m getting nowhere. You may remember it from the book saga last year. I’ve done it again in miniature this year with the Obstacle Busting Mini Ebook.
And just like the Scotland team, if I’d looked up and passed sideways, I’d have finished more easily. Or if I’d just chilled out and had a bit of patience. But no, white line fever had hit! When I watch this type of play on the tv, I’m screaming at the box “PASS IT WIDE!” and I can’t believe they can’t see what I can clearly see. I suspect my spiritual team feel the same. In fact, sometimes I fancy I can hear them screaming “SLOW DOWN!”…but I’ve got white line fever and I’m like a bull at a gate, charging forwards with nary a thought for patience, space, my health, what’s best for the project.
So here’s my top 5 tips for me next time I get white line fever (and you, if you suffer from this insanity too):
1. If you can see the finish line, be aware that you’re vulnerable to white line fever and catch it as early as you can.
2. Slow down. You make poor decisions when you’re in the grip of white line fever, so slow down and be smart. Take the time to meditate and step back from your project to make sure you’re being efficient and effective in this final phase.
3. Be patient. You’ll get there. You don’t have 15 18-stone men trying to stop you, it’s easy.
4. Let go of expectations about when you’ll finish. If you’re like me, you’ll wildly underestimate the length of time any task takes. So drop your expectations – it’ll take as long as it takes.
5. Lighten up. I tend to get very focused when I have white line fever, everything is a thousand times more significant and serious. Setbacks are disasters and everything takes forever…mainly because my focus has turned to tunnel vision. So, lighten up. Dance, laugh, sing, be merry and enjoy this fabulous finishing phase.
But there’s something else that can happen when you get towards the end of a project…Fear in the Final Third. (Cue dramatic music) This is where you get close to the line and then balk like a nervous horse at a fence. My football team were doing that in their FA cup game. They’d play some lovely football, then find themselves getting into the final third and EEK, they’d go sideways or backwards, much to everyone’s frustration.
Again, I’m screaming at the tv…this time “FORWARDS!” The new manager (we sacked our old one last week because we’re currently rubbish) must have agreed with me, because after half time the team came out and actually started to get some energy going in the final third…and we won the game! WOOHOO! Anyway, that’s an aside.
Fear in the Final Third is something that gets in a lot of people’s way. Before I learned to finish projects, I used to get a lot of F in the FT. I’d get so far with a project and then flinch, hesitate, dodge and recoil from the finishing line, going sideways and even backwards and never finishing anything. Now, sometimes it’s necessary to go sideways, and even backwards – if it will make the project better or get you to your goal faster (see White Line Fever above).
But often, you just need to keep going forwards. So, if you recognise that you get fear in the final third, here are my 5 top tips for you:
1. FORWARDS! Forward momentum is great, it will carry you onwards and upwards. Notice if you’re constantly going sideways and backwards when there is no need and train yourself to go forwards. Baby steps are a great way to do this…just take a little step, then another, and another. Nothing sinister or scary, just a little step, over and over again.
2. Learn to finish. Finishing is an art all by itself. We may be able to start a project, we may be able to flow with a project…but if we can’t finish, we’ll never score. Metaphorically. Choose a project you want to finish…and finish it!
3. Choose one major focus. it’s so easy to get distracted and flit from one thing to another (I know, I did it for years…and I’m still prone to it – take wandering off to write a free ebook when I’m supposed to be promoting my E-Workshop for example), but if you choose one major focus, you can just work on that until it’s done. And then move to the next thing.
4. Single task. If your attention is scattered all over the place, on 56 different goals and projects, it’s hard to get one done…and again, so easy to get distracted in that final third. When you single task, your focus is laser-like and it’s so much easier to get shit done. Even finishing shit.
5. Have confidence in yourself. Most people get final third shy because they’re lacking in confidence (my football team are woefully lacking in confidence right now). But you build confidence by taking steps and hitting goals, so have confidence that you can do it…and just baby step your way to that finish line.
So, which of these are you most prone to? Or have you experienced both? And which tip will you implement today to get you over that goal line?
