In the world of track and field, athletes are trained to run through the finish line, not just to it. This ensures they don’t inadvertently slow down right before the end. You’ve probably seen it – runners stretching their necks like giraffes on a rollercoaster, just to cut a fraction of a second off their time. Similarly, swimmers make that last desperate lunge to touch the wall first, channeling their inner dolphins for those precious milliseconds.

But what does “finishing strong” look like outside the realm of spandex and chlorine? Imagine this: at work, instead of bolting for the exit at 4:59 PM like a sprinter on a sugar rush, you stay focused until your shift truly ends. Maybe you give your presentation one last comb-through before hitting send, ensuring there are no embarrassing typos or glaring errors. Think about the satisfaction of knowing you’ve dotted every ‘i’ and crossed every ‘t’. That’s your equivalent of the runner’s head thrust.

Finishing strong could also mean going the extra mile in your personal life. After a grueling day at work, rather than collapsing into the couch and morphing into a potato, you spend those precious minutes with your spouse. It’s like that final push in a race – it might be a bit uncomfortable, but the rewards are worth it. Or perhaps, despite having a project deadline looming, you choose to set it aside to help your child with their homework. This is your metaphorical extra lunge to the wall.

This commitment to finishing strong, whether at work or at home, fills you with a sense of accomplishment. It’s that inner glow that tells you, “Yeah, I gave it my best shot.” It’s more than just about the finish line – it’s about how you get there.

So, let’s take a page from the athletes’ playbook and apply it to our everyday lives. Let’s run through our tasks with gusto, not just to them. And remember, as the bible says,

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10, NIV).