unfinished thoughts

There must be a measurable degree to which every person can allow themselves to leave things unfinished. What's truly fascinating is every individual's basis for judgement; in this case, the level of importance and the value of the effort needed to complete something half-accomplished.

Take as an example the rough drafts of blog entries I have saved on this website. Most of them are inspired ideas that fizzled before they could be expanded upon. Regardless of whether I will ever turn these into full-fledged postings, they still exist in a special state that only I am aware of. Our happiness and contentment are tested every day by these incomplete thoughts. The underlying impulse behind initiating a course of action like clicking the 'new post' button is an attempt to achieve a potential outcome: in this example, a finished entry. Along with an actualization of the initial effort comes a genuine feeling of satisfaction. While completing a piece of writing can only provide so much gratification, it is a principle that similarly applies to the infinite opportunities of our daily lives.

Tiny decisions can set in motion a chain of events that could lead to undeniable satisfaction and success. But what does it mean to leave that chain incomplete? What goal are you keeping yourself from attaining? Therein lies the kinds of questions which sit at the back of my skull every day with a lazy, misguided hand on the steering wheel. While not knowing what you want makes you a boring person, seemingly without regard for your own opinion and trust in your own judgement, being so sure of your direction in life leaves you bored. We are always learning, even when we aren't aware of it. Nothing is ever so set in stone as to be infinitely predictable. Leave yourself open to always being surprised and the chances that we are met with every day will only be as taxing as you let them. Consider them challenges, tiny little nudgings in the direction of happiness. Hardships can be energy-draining reminders of inability or generous lessons in discerning our personalities.

If thoughts mean so much, why do we leave so many of them unfinished? Is happiness the point where every thought is allowed to run its course and reach an intended outcome? Will we ever be able to answer every question we pose ourselves? Too often we look outside ourselves to provide justification of our decisions. I would never say that this is unimportant, but in the sense of self-reliance, we should be able to turn to ourselves to decide whether something is the best choice to make at a given time.

But not everything can be actualized. I will never flush out and finalize every rough draft I've ever started. Mistakes make up our world as much as sure-footed good decisions. It is up to every one of us to decide the value of devoting our effort towards something we think we want. How much incompletion we can stand before feeling incomplete. The unfairness of the world that we're willing to put up with.

I believe that there is never a right answer because everything in this world is indefinite. As they say, nothing is black and white. There are no absolutes. Even something as meaningful as my happiness is undefinable. I will never know the exact formula for attaining my own satisfaction. That uncertainty is another door to adventure: because we do not know what we are seeking, we can seek the path. Every day's potentials and problems are the life we're living. Finish whatever it is you know you should.