Finish Strong

Habits 2 Goals: The Habit Factor® Podcast with Martin Grunburg

“It’s not how you start that matters, it’s how you finish.” ~Michael Jordan

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Let’s talk about finishing strong. Does anyone remember who led at halftime, anyway?

Whether it’s the final reps of a workout, the last chapter of a book, the home stretch of a goal, or the end of the year, finishing with purpose and intensity changes everything.

The act of finishing strong isn't just motivational fluff; it's a game-changer for habit-building, self-confidence, and—bonus—a sweet dopamine rush.

Benefits of Finishing Strong

Supercharges Confidence: Ending on a high note convinces your brain you’re the kind of person who executes on a plan and finishes what they start. When your last mile is faster than your first mile—you’re finishing strong! Finishing what you plan—even small tasks (behaviors you’re looking to cultivate into habits)—produces self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the cornerstone of The Habit Factor’s P.A.R.R., habit-building methodology.

Reinforces Habit Strength: Imagine your habit as a snowball rolling downhill. Finishing strong reinforces your commitment; it grows larger and faster and gains momentum with each successful completion.

Brain Candy: When you complete a task—almost any task you set out to accomplish—your brain rewards you with dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. Bonus: all these feel-good chemicals help to reinforce your motivation to get back after it!

Tomorrow Meets a Stronger You: Today’s strong finish equates to you rejoining that next practice effort even stronger. You’re essentially handing future-you a gift—you’re paying it forward with each strong finish!

Laser Focus: Aiming to finish strong forces you to up the ante—increase the energy, intensity, and focus.

“A good start’s a joyful run, but finishing strong is second to none.”

P.A.R.R. and Finishing Strong

The Habit Factor’s P.A.R.R. methodology (Plan, Act, Record, Reassess) sets you up for a strong finish by helping you to establish a “low bar”—making finishing strong easier.

How it all connects:

Plan: Start with your habit’s “Target Days” are they (M, W, F) or (Tu, Th)? Notice they do NOT need to be every day. You select the days that work with you and your schedule. Then, identify the “Minimum Success Criteria” (MSC)—the “low-bar” part of your habit-building plan. For instance, 5 pushups or 25 pushups? Writing for 10 minutes or 10 pages?

Act: Each action (according to your plan) becomes a mini-finish line. Crush it on your target days, and you’re already finishing strong at a micro-level, which keeps the momentum building.

Record: Track your progress against your “Targets” and build accountability. The more you see wins stack up, the easier it is to keep finishing strong.

Reassess: Reflecting on what worked (and what didn’t) ties a neat bow on your efforts and preps you for the next challenge.

When you approach habits with P.A.R.R., you’re not just grinding—you’re creating a cycle of intentional starts and triumphant finishes.

How to Finish Strong

Set Your Sights on Small Wins: Small helps to get started—convincing yourself it’ll be easy to start. Establishing low “Minimum Success Criteria” on your “Target Days” is the secret weapon of P.A.R.R., which works to help get started AND to finish strong.

Consistency Beats Intensity: Skip the “all or nothing” mindset. Show up consistently and let habit strength compound over time.

Plan to Win: Strong finishes rarely happen by accident. Decide in advance if you’ll be exceeding your “Minimum Success Criteria.” Not so you can get two checks—but so you’ll finish strong and show up next time even stronger.

Reflect and Celebrate: Celebration is almost instantaneous as your natural reward systems—endorphins and neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine—will kick in every time you complete your “Minimum Success Criteria” on your “Target Days.” It won’t just be a mental high-five… it’ll be an emotional one that will keep you pumped and motivated as you prove self-efficacy.

“Habit development cares little about bursts of energy. Habits are developed via consistency over time. The notion that you have to keep daily streaks alive or you can’t miss two days is completely a myth. Consistency over time is the key to habit development, period.”

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