Warning: Are You Finishing Well?
Jun 02, 2025
"No one has a problem with the first mile of a journey. Even an infant could do fine for a while. But it isn't the start that matters. It's the finish line."
--Julien Smith
What? It's June already? What happened to the whole first half of the year. This thought prompted me to look more closely at my goals. Some goals are right on; some could use some extra work.
There is a teaching in the Maxwell Bible in 2 Chronicles. John's commentary is titled "Leaders Need to Finish Well." Four of the kings written about in Chronicles started their reigns really well. Their people benefited from their success and fame, but the kings let their good times go to their heads and their monarchy finishes were not so pretty.
Here are some reasons for their poor finishes:
1. The people drifted away from their calling as spiritual leaders and their jobs became routine and ho-hum rather than executed with their original passion.
2. The kings overestimated their own personal importance and allowed themselves to become exceptions to the rules.
3. The kings grew blind to their weaknesses and refused accountability.
4. The kings did not raise up, train and empower great leaders to follow in their original values and passion. If we are to leave any lasting legacy, a successful passing of the leadership torch needs to be in place. They didn't create a strategy to have the right people in the right place at the right time.
I remember writing my book, "Fruitful Leadership; Leading by The Fruit of The Spirit." When I began the study, which became the book, of the Fruit of the Spirit and daily posted my thoughts on the private Facebook page--I felt called to do it. I was very excited about it! I wrote when I didn't feel like it because I felt such a passion for what I was learning. Really...what better leadership characteristics to model than those of the Spirit. Those traits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.
I do the very best I know how, the very best I can,
and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.
Abraham Lincoln
Then came the editing part--boring. But I didn't want to drift away from my original calling and passion to turn out something less than my best. I wanted finishing the book as a writing of worth, beauty, elegance and, hopefully, impact. Thinking about it this way gave me new resolve and excitement, which pulled me through the editing. My editor held me accountable and kept me humble. Geesh, I paid her to tell me where my writing wasn't done well!
I published the book in 2019. It's not a best seller, but I got a text last weekend from a reader who is still turning to it for devotionals. Pushing through the editing was worth it to have the impact that I believed the book could have.
We're halfway through 2025. Have you revisited your goals lately? Hopefully, most of you look at them daily.
How's your passion? Do you know what your blind spots are? Do you feel like your life has become ho-hum? Are your drifting from your calling? Are you raising up other leaders to continue your legacy? Let me help you if you need it, so you can finish 2025 well!
Finishing 2025 well,
Jan McDonald
Maxwell Leadership Certified Team
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