End Well {Mantra 27}
We all love a good beginning . . . of a story, of a vacation, of a life.
But what about endings?
Did you know this? When we assess our experiences, we tend to rate them on two key moments:
(1) the best or worst moment, and
(2) the ending.
So says Chip and Dan Heath in their incredible book, The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact (I highly recommend it!).
As long as our event ends well, we tend to rate it well, even if there were horrible moments in between.
End well.
But what constitutes an ending? The Heath brothers say:
“Beginnings and endings can blur—if you change cities for a new job, is that an ending or a beginning or both? That’s why it’s preferable to talk about transitions, which encompass both endings and beginnings.”
With that caveat, if you want to make the memory good, when it’s within your control to do it, aim to make the ending good. The end of your story. The last day of your vacation.
And the end of your life.
End well.
Read More:
You are on Day #27 of the series: Find Your Mantra {28 Daily Mantras}
Previous:
“Let go or be dragged” {Mantra 26}
Next:
“This. Here. Now.” {Mantra 28}
I guess there is some truth in the old saying, “All’s well that ends well.”
Blessings, Lisa!
Thanks for the book recommendation, Lisa. May we end our life well and hear, “Well done” from God.
When my mom passed away October 2012 – my sister and I looked at each other and said, “She’s done and she ended well.” Your words are precious to me today as I remember my dear mom.
This is the second consecutive month that I have participated in a daily writing challenge where I followed the prompts that were chosen by someone other than myself. Some days were VERY difficult and others flowed easily. That being said, I’m glad to be at near the end of #write28days. What will I write about in March? Only God knows the answer.
What a beautiful mantra! Ending on positive notes takes intention some times, but we can bring that intention to the table and make sure we end on high notes.