The Last 27 Ideas

Sometimes the breakthrough we’re praying for is connected to the work we have yet to finish.

About a week ago, I was driving home on my insane 2.5 hour commute, on the phone with my good sis, and we were doing what we do best, yap. Mid convo, I said, “I just got a revelation.”

She was like, “Girl, what?”

I said to her, “Imagine what our lives would look like if we went back and finished what we started? Imagine how we could change the trajectory of our lives simply by following through on some of the things we’ve already started.”

So often, we pray to God asking for a sign or a way of escape. We’re asking, “Lord, give me that one idea or that one thing that will change my life for the better.”

Meanwhile, he’s given us 27 ideas, and we haven’t seen ONE through to completion!

And God is like, “I gave you an answer 27 ideas ago.”

I just know I get on God’s nerves the same way my kids get on mine. 😂

Hear me out. What if the answers we’ve been praying for are sitting in unfinished projects, abandoned plans, neglected ideas, and opportunities we never fully pursued? What if the next chapter doesn’t require another idea? What if it requires action on the last one?

This resonated with me so deeply because in that moment, I spoke life into myself.

The Ideas Aren’t the Problem. The Follow Through Is.

One thing I’ve always been great at is coming up with ideas. Where I’ve struggled is seeing said ideas through to completion.

I can get excited about something, envision what it could become, start making plans, and even take the first few steps. Then, somewhere along the way, the excitement fades, something else catches my attention, or I convince myself that maybe there’s a better way to approach it.

And just like that, I’m on to the next thing.

Can you imagine how many ideas never get the opportunity to become anything because we abandon them before giving them a fair chance?

Sometimes we’re so busy looking for the next big thing that we never give the current thing enough time to grow. Whew chile! We want the finished product without sitting through the process. We want the results, but the repetitive, sometimes unexciting work required to get there can be difficult to embrace.

And that’s something I’ve had to be honest with myself about.

An idea can be exciting in the beginning. Everything feels possible! But once the planning, consistency, problem solving, and actual work begin, the excitement can look a little different.

That’s where commitment comes in. Not every day will feel exciting,   

and not every step will produce an instant result. Sometimes progress looks like doing the same thing again, even when nobody is watching and nothing particularly exciting is happening.

Maybe that’s the part we keep overlooking.

A Collector of Journals, Ideas, and Possibilities (mind your business)

One might say that I am a collector of journals. It’s a little bit of an unhealthy obsession, but there is something about a cute journal with pages of lined paper. It’s as if they call out to me while I’m walking through the aisles of all of my favorite stores.

The night of the revelation, I decided to gather all of my journals and look through my notes on my phone to review every written idea and compile them into one list.

I shocked myself, because GIRL…

There were ideas I had completely forgotten about. Things I had been excited about, things I had started researching, and things I genuinely believed could turn into something worth pursuing.

Seeing everything in one place was both exciting and a little disheartening. It made me wonder how many opportunities I may have overlooked simply because I moved on before giving them a real chance.

But it also gave me something else, perspective.

Sometimes we think we need something new because we’re dissatisfied with where we are. We start looking outside of ourselves for the next opportunity, the next idea, or the next big revelation. Meanwhile, we haven’t even taken inventory of what we already have.

What if we spent less time searching for something new and a little more time being intentional with what is already in front of us?

And Then There’s the Part About Starting Again… Again.

I immediately locked in. Again.

Again is an important word here, and I’ll tell you why. I have begun again more times than I can count.

I have a few tendencies that I’m continuing to explore through professional help. Say it with me, “it’s okay to go to therapy.” Through therapy, I’ve learned that my tendency to start multiple projects at the same time, only to later abandon them, may be connected to something more than what I’ve always considered just something that I do.

I’m not claiming a diagnosis, but I am exploring the possibilities and learning more about myself.

I did say, though, “Let me find out I’m about to feel vindicated like Theo on The Cosby Show when he found out he wasn’t dumb like he thought, but had an actual learning disorder.”

More to come on that!

But seriously, there’s something to be said about understanding yourself. Sometimes we label ourselves as lazy, inconsistent, undisciplined, or incapable without taking the time to understand why we struggle with certain things.

Accountability is important, but so is giving yourself the opportunity to learn how you operate.

I can acknowledge that I need to improve my follow through while also recognizing that I may need different tools, strategies, or support to do so. Two things can be true at the same time.

Perhaps that’s part of my journey, learning how to stop confusing a struggle with an inability.

Faith, Discernment, and Accountability

“Finish what you started.”

That was the message I took away from this revelation.

But let’s get clear on a few things. Not every unfinished idea deserves completion. Sometimes we start things that aren’t right for us. Sometimes circumstances change, our priorities shift, or we gain new information that makes us realize a particular path is no longer worth pursuing.

And that’s okay.

There’s a difference between recognizing that something is no longer aligned with where you’re going and abandoning something simply because it became uncomfortable.

That’s where faith and discernment come into the conversation.

Every idea isn’t necessarily God’s instruction, just as every unfinished project isn’t a missed blessing. We have to be intentional about seeking God’s direction rather than assuming every thought or opportunity is something we’re supposed to pursue.

But we also have to be careful not to use prayer as a substitute for action.

We can ask God for direction, clarity, wisdom, AND provision while still taking responsibility for the part we’ve been given to do.

Faith doesn’t mean we know exactly how everything will work out before we take the first step. Sometimes it means trusting God enough to take that step without having the entire picture. Sheesh!

We talk about wanting God to change our circumstances, open doors, and lead us into new opportunities. But are we being faithful with the opportunities we’ve already been given???

Are we following through? Are we being consistent? Are we doing the work even when the excitement wears off? Ouch

Maybe I’m not waiting on God to give me another idea. Maybe he’s waiting on me to do something with the ones he’s already given me.

Now let me sit with that.

What If It Actually Works?

I think sometimes we’re so focused on the possibility of failure that we don’t give enough consideration to the possibility of success. Some of us rehearse failure before we even begin.

What if the business you’ve been talking about actually becomes profitable? What if the book you’ve been meaning to finish reaches the people it was written for? What if the degree, certification, creative project, or personal goal you’ve repeatedly put on hold becomes the very thing that opens a door you didn’t see coming?

What if it doesn’t fail?

What if you surprise yourself?

What if the thing you’ve been thinking about for years becomes something you’re actually living?

Of course, there are no guarantees. Finishing something doesn’t automatically mean it will produce the outcome we envisioned. But abandoning it guarantees that we’ll never know what it could have become.

And I don’t want to keep wondering about what might have happened if only I had followed through.

One thing I will never do is give up on me! I am going to keep trying until IT happens, whatever IT is.

I’m learning that trying again doesn’t always mean starting something new. Sometimes it means returning to something old with a different mindset, a better plan, more wisdom, and a willingness to do the work.

So, I’m encouraging you to revisit some of those abandoned ideas. Pull out the journals (because I know y’all have them). Dust them off. Look through the notes on your phone. Revisit those incomplete projects and ask yourself whether there’s still something worth pursuing.

You might discover that the idea wasn’t the problem. Maybe it just needed more time, more attention, or a version of you that was ready to see it through.

And before you ask God for the next big idea, take a look at the last 27.

Jaz