That’s a quote by Sir Winston Churchill, which was made during the crisis in England after WWII. He was referencing what he felt was his primary responsibility (a lasting peace) while he was in a position of influence as the Prime Minister. The comment was made approximately 18 months before he retired from ‘active duty’. I think that he sensed that his time was limited and was concerned that he would not be able to accomplish his goal before the end occurred. After leading England through WWII and the beginning of recovery, he eventually retired at age 81 but remained active till his death at age 90.
The point I’m making is that we sometimes think we have gotten to our (the) end, realizing we haven’t finished. In Churchill’s case, though he retired, he remained as an active member of the House of Commons and completed writing his history, plus countless other activities. His focus changed, his actions changed… I seriously doubt he did. What example does this provide us? It really speaks to how we live our lives – intentionally or reactively.
Intentionally is not defined as stressful, frantic, or obsessive. Intentional according to Webster is: ‘…done in a way that is planned…’. In reading the synonyms’ discussion, the word is further defined as:
means done or brought about of one’s own will… freedom and
spontaneity of choice or action…awareness of an end to be achieved.
Intentional is always our determination, our choice. I would suggest it is also a stronger foundation from which we act. When we act intentional, we are aware of what the possible ramification there may be and are willing to accept any and all responsibility for the results.
The issue is how we determine what we need to do… before we finish. Whether we need to train someone else in the process to complete the project or whether we will be able to complete it in the time we have available. Unfinished ‘business’ is always difficult to contend with and troubling. Our planning makes the necessary adjustments to accomplishing the goal – whether by us or whether we need to hand it off.
This kind of mindset, frame of our operation is how we determine if we get to the end of the (project, plan, our part, etc.) and how we should plan for continuation when necessary. In all this, the goal really may be more than only our part, so it is critical to get the big picture as well – what happened before that got us to where we are now. If you do get to the end before finishing… what have you planned for in order to complete (fill in the blank) is the issue.
