Finish…

Here is an idea that I believe comes from John Lennon. When you sit down to write a song, finish the song. Write the song to the end.

I read, briefly, that John Lennon had many songs half done, that he had a hard time focusing. I think that sounds true. If I had to guess I would have tagged Paul McCartney as the focused partner, the 9 to 5 guy.

The principle here is simple. Have an idea? See it through its rough-draft-first-iteration-prototype. Finish the play, novel, or poem. Then rewrite and refine. Make and ship the first product, then iterate. Take a risk on the first date.

Don’t leave an idea for a song half written. You may never pick it up again. Finish the idea. If there is nothing there, throw it away. But if there is something, work on it or file it away to revise later.

The first version of most things is below our dreams. But we learn from those things. The beauty of a first draft, prototype, or even a failed coffee date is that nobody really ever sees it, or judges us for it. Because we can work and re-work most everything we have the opportunity to get something just right before we need to bring it forward into the world.

Write the idea to its end. Then take a step back and see what you’ve got.