(This is part two of a four-part series on the phases of creation. (Here’s part one if you missed it.) Everything you ever birth–be it a baby, a book, a business, or a brunch–goes through these four phases. They sync up with the seasons, the lunar cycle, the menstrual cycle, and the planting cycle. Once you know what they are and use them consciously, you can add some serious rocket fuel to your creations and your creative process. This is part two, when you’re ready here’s parts three and four!)
I’m so good at starting things. I very rarely overthink things. I just get excited and get going.
In the past I would start on every idea that came to mind that I was even vaguely amped about and end up with lots of open loops that rarely got closed.
Getting traction was a challenge because instead of funneling my energy towards completion, I just kept starting new things.
Lots of energy was expended, but I felt like I never had anything to show for it.
Can you relate?
In early 2014 I learned the power of working on one project at a time and, for the first time, the idea of focus didn’t feel boring or uninspired. It felt smart. And powerful.
Finishing what you start falls under the part of the four phases of creation that has a similar energy to autumn, the waning moon, and the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.
I like to call this phase of creation Culmination.
Why? Because the energy is about:
- Winding down
- Slowing down
- Crossing t’s and dotting i’s
- Wrapping up details
- Finishing things
- Turning inward
Our bodies are ingeniously wired for this because the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (also known as the premenstrual phase), where we’re hormonally primed for focus and completing tasks, tends to be longer than the other three phases. Our body knows that it usually takes more time and energy to complete things than it does to start things. Our hormonal makeup is literally designed to help us finish things.
The motto for the Culmination phase is:
Less inspiration. More perspiration.
There are times for enthusiastic new beginnings, but this phase of creation is not one of those times.
So, how can you take advantage of this energy in your own life?
- Track your menstrual cycle and schedule time to complete projects during your luteal phase.
- Track the lunar phases and schedule time to wrap things up when the moon is waning.
- To the best of your ability, follow each project you begin through to completion before starting on something new. (Have an idea file where you capture your flashes of inspiration for new projects – otherwise not starting on something the minute you think of it may feel suffocating.)
- Once a creation is out in the world (it’s gone through its Visibility phase) it’s ready for Culmination. Focus as much of your workday as possible on detail-oriented tasks and completion.
(My membership community for entrepreneurial moms, Origin®, dives really deep into the gifts and opportunities of each phase and how to catapult your business by capitalizing on them. Get on the waitlist to be the first to know when enrollment opens again!)
Rather than trying to start new things while launching other things and finishing other things and letting other things gestate all at the same time, try this on for size: harnessing your energy towards one phase at once gets your further faster. And conserves your energy so you don’t burn out.
So, next time you get distracted by a shiny new idea, honor it by writing it down somewhere, and then harness the energy of the culmination phase to finish what you’ve already started. When you do this over and over again, you’ll be amazed by the momentum you create.
OVER TO YOU:
Are you a great starter or more of a finisher? Somewhere in between? What do you do to harness the culmination phase of creation and finish what you start? Let me know in the comments below!
12 comments