Learning to Follow Through

Someone once asked me: "What is the most important thing to remember in graduate school"? I responded with a slew of text-book responses, but as I think of it--my new response lends itself to simplicity.

The most important concept, or thing NOT just in graduate school, but in life is: one should be able to follow through.

That is, if you begin at anything, make sure your genesis is progressive and that it terminates, it plateaus at an eschaton. I utilize the indefinite article, because we do begin many projects and desires. Unfortunately, they remain empty, unfulfilled.

For instance, there are those of us who begin projects, but place them on the back end of our minds. We do not follow through on them because of time, cost. Our level of investment is weak, and our desires for flippancy strong.

These areas of follow through are beyond academic life, and enter into the arena, the rim of the social, the political, the communal. That "thing" that you have been putting off--do it, but do it to completion. That person you have been meaning to contact and "keep in touch with"--do it, but do it to completion.

Moreover, as we get closer to choosing a new president for these here United States of America (insert your accent of choice here) observe rather closely--who follows through the best, who completes tasks, and even who moves in and out of the genesis moment toward the eschaton.

I began this post with a suggestion from a past memory, but I end with a suggestion toward a portable progressive present: whatever you do, do it to completion.