You're hitting the last five minutes of an hour long conference call, or the thirtieth - and final! - review of your article, and in those final moments it it easy to say: I've done great work till this point, I'm tired, let's just wrap this up. As a result, we tend to wind down at the end of projects.
I practice Bikram yoga, a 90-minute practice that consists of 26 postures repeated twice on both the left and right side. It is towards the end of holding each posture that is the hardest; my muscles are tired, my determination fumbles, and I think, I've held the position so well until now, there are only a few seconds left, I can let go.
In fact, it these last few seconds that are the most important. It is in these last few seconds when my mind and body are struggling the most that holding the pose delivers the most benefits. And the other day my teacher gave me a new thought: in the last few seconds, he said, do more than maintain - go deeper in the pose, reach further.
If you have worked hard until the last few seconds, why give up on the end? Maintain or even increase your intensity, and instead of winding down, the project/call/yoga posture may wrap up to a new level, may produce an even greater result, may reach a greater expectation. What a reward for all your hard work! So, why do we wind down?
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