{"id":1481,"date":"2026-10-25T07:26:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T07:26:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/?p=1481"},"modified":"2026-10-23T14:27:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T14:27:38","slug":"be-the-exception-why-finishing-what-you-start-changes-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/be-the-exception-why-finishing-what-you-start-changes-everything\/","title":{"rendered":"Be the Exception: Why Finishing What You Start Changes Everything."},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cLess than 20% of people who start something ever finish. Be the exception.\u201d \u2014 Darren Hardy<\/em><\/h3>\n

Every now and then, you come across a quote that doesn\u2019t just sound good \u2014 it hits you right between the eyes. This one did exactly that for me.<\/p>\n

Because if I\u2019m honest, I\u2019ve spent a lot of my life in that 80% group. The starters. The planners. The enthusiastic \u201cthis is going to be brilliant\u201d people. The ones who get a project 80% done\u2026 and then somehow drift onto the next shiny thing.<\/p>\n

If that sounds familiar, you\u2019re not alone. Most people live in that space. But here\u2019s the thing:<\/p>\n

The world doesn\u2019t reward starters. It rewards finishers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why this quote matters.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u2b50 Starting is easy. Finishing is rare.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Starting feels exciting. Finishing feels uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

Starting gives you dopamine. Finishing requires discipline.<\/p>\n

Starting is about ideas. Finishing is about execution.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why only 20% of people ever cross the finish line. Not because they\u2019re not capable \u2014 but because finishing demands a different version of you.<\/p>\n

A focused version. A committed version. A version that doesn\u2019t get distracted by the next idea, the next project, or the next \u201cI\u2019ll do that later.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u2b50 I\u2019m choosing to be the exception.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Right now, I\u2019m pushing myself to finish a major project: Book One of The Shaper Chronicles.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been sitting close to completion for a while. The story is done. The illustrations are done. The structure is done.<\/p>\n

It just needs the final push \u2014 the finishing touches, the formatting, the upload, the proof copy.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019ve realised something:<\/p>\n

If I finish this book, it changes everything.<\/strong> Momentum shifts. Confidence grows. Opportunities open. And I move from \u201csomeone who starts things\u201d to \u201csomeone who finishes things.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the difference between being in the 80%\u2026 and being in the 20%.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u2b50 Finishing creates momentum<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When you finish one thing, you\u2019re more likely to finish the next. It\u2019s like a muscle \u2014 the more you use it, the stronger it gets.<\/p>\n

Finishing creates:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • clarity<\/li>\n
  • confidence<\/li>\n
  • direction<\/li>\n
  • discipline<\/li>\n
  • belief<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    And once you\u2019ve finished one project, you start to see yourself differently.<\/p>\n

    You stop saying \u201cI\u2019ll try.\u201d You start saying \u201cI\u2019ll finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    \u2b50 My plan to finish (and yours too)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    I\u2019ve created a simple checklist to get Book One over the line. Not a complicated system. Not a 47\u2011step productivity ritual.<\/p>\n

    Just a clear, doable list.<\/p>\n

    Because finishing isn\u2019t about perfection \u2014 it\u2019s about progress.<\/p>\n

    And here\u2019s the part where I turn the spotlight to you:<\/p>\n

    \u2b50\u00a0What\u2019s the one thing YOU could finish before Christmas?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Not five things. Not a whole life overhaul. Just one.<\/p>\n

    One project. One commitment. One finish line.<\/p>\n

    Pick it. Focus on it. Finish it.<\/p>\n

    Be the exception.<\/p>\n

    Most people never finish what they start. But you\u2019re not \u201cmost people.\u201d<\/p>\n

    You\u2019re capable of more. You\u2019re ready for more. And you\u2019re choosing to be in the 20% \u2014 the finishers, the doers, the ones who actually make things happen.<\/p>\n

    Let\u2019s finish strong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u201cLess than 20% of people who start something ever finish. Be the exception.\u201d \u2014 Darren Hardy Every now and then, you come across a quote that doesn\u2019t just sound good…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[420,539,479,538],"tags":[381,477,322,537,385],"class_list":["post-1481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cbpc-system","category-motivation","category-personal-development","category-productivity","tag-cbpc","tag-motivation","tag-online-business","tag-personal-growth","tag-productivity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1481"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1483,"href":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1481\/revisions\/1483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davethomasonline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}