Finish

The 10th rule of Taekwondo at our Do-Jang is to finish what you started. If you decide to start something, make sure you are prepared to follow it through to the end, regardless of the challenges you may face. When you make the conscious decision to start something, you have made the conscious decision to finish it.

I hate when things start out well and end poorly. Watching the last 5 episodes of Game of Thrones makes me realize how important it is to finish what you start. R.R. Martin develops an amazing story that was turned into a hit HBO series. Unfortunately, he never finished the books and the last season of the show was as boring to me as the last season of Seinfeld or the final episode of Dexter. (Who drives a boat through a Hurricane only to become a truck driver at a loggers camp? That wasn’t brilliant, that was lazy) Both were brilliant shows until the end and I am disappointed as to how they went away. It is not always first impressions that count. An example of ending a series perfectly… Fleabag. If they are going to make a second season, please don’t ruin what you created.

In the end, the original brilliance and creativity of Game of Thrones that hooked so many of us were lost to the battle for more viewers. What is more important to the networks? A brilliant ending or maximizing the number of viewers.  In the case of Game of Thrones, I got to witness writers trying to develop characters as they were sitting around drinking before the final battles. If I wanted to see characters being developed while they are sitting at a bar drinking ale, I will watch reruns of Cheers.

What could have been the greatest series of all time was ruined because the true creative genius behind the show could not finish the job of writing the story. Instead, he let HBO and its stable of writers, producers, and directors provide us with a lackluster ending that did not align to the brilliance of the previous seasons. 

Don’t fall into the same trap and lose focus as to why you started something.

Follow Taekwondo Rule #10, finish what you started, but remember why you started that something and persevere to finish well.

Every day is an interview.