The Alchemical Last 20%
Where Grit Meets Magic
And… Action!
We often celebrate grand beginnings, the spark of an idea, the initial burst of energy. But what about the final stretch? The last 20% of effort, that relentless push to completion, is where the true alchemy of creation happens.
Ever since I was a teenager, I’d felt a calling to write a film script. In my early 20s, I trudged through the first act of a screenplay that ended up gathering dust on the shelf. Over time, I’d come back to that script, tinker, come up with new ideas, dabble some more. But I never completed a script.
In early 2024, that inner calling to write a script came back, louder and bolder than ever. I resolved to start fresh. I began writing, and straight away felt this resonant relief. To be doing the thing that had been calling to me. It fueled a sweet surge of momentum.
As I made my way through the first act, I found my grasp of the artform, the techniques and frameworks of scriptwriting, had grown weak. This realization zapped some of that energy, and my fierce inner critic got loud. It almost derailed the project altogether, but I resolved to study and relearn the foundations as I wrote.
When I neared the two-thirds mark in the script, I hit the thickest quicksand moment in the process. I couldn’t see how to wrap up the story arcs and lost the feeling of confidence that the momentum nurtured. Again, deep doubt sank in. Who was I to think I could be a screenwriter? I all but gave up for a month.
And yet, I found my way through it. By some magic alchemy of grit and trust, I returned to a state of just loving the process, the creative act itself.
A few weeks ago, after almost a year, I completed that script.
I learned a great deal about myself in this process. The most salient, electric wisdom came through in that last 20% of the project. I’ll share five hard-won insights that have forever transformed how I orient to the creative calling.
1. The Inner Critic as a Refiner, Not a Destroyer:
Most people see their inner critic as a roadblock, a voice of doubt. I know I did. But in that final 20%, it can become a powerful refiner. The pressure it applies, when channeled correctly, forces us to polish our work, to eliminate the superfluous, and to elevate the essential. It's the forge where raw potential is hammered into refined brilliance.
2. Grit Transcends Talent:
Talent can ignite a project, but grit sustains it. In those final stages, talent alone falters. I’ve been told by everyone who knows me about my innate talent with writing. To a point, that meant little. It's the unwavering commitment, the refusal to yield, that pushes us across the finish line. This grit, often forged in the face of exhaustion and doubt, is the true differentiator.
3. The Calling Amplifies in the Void:
As we approach completion, the noise of external validation fades. It's in this relative void, where only our inner voice remains, that our true calling amplifies. The project becomes less about external accolades and more about fulfilling an intrinsic purpose. The loud worry about the product — the selling of it, the getting it out there — begins to wane. In its absence, the pleasure and attunement to creativity itself rebounds. This alignment with purpose is what invites "magic."
4. Completion as a Quantum Leap:
Finishing a major undertaking isn't just a linear progression; it's a quantum leap. The act of bringing something fully into existence both requires a shift in and inevitably does shift our internal state, rewires our neural pathways, and opens us to new possibilities. Each completed project expands our capacity for future creation. As I wrapped up the script, a flood of new premises and concepts for future projects opened up inside me.
5. The Universe Responds to Resolved Intent:
The universe, in a sense, responds to resolved intent. When we commit to seeing something through to completion, we send a powerful signal. This unwavering focus aligns us with the flow of creation, and synchronicities, opportunities, and unexpected resources often manifest. I would be walking my dog, clearing my head, getting some air, and out of the blue, creative connections and epiphanies would just drop in my path.
That final 20% isn't just about finishing; it's about transformation. It's where we discover our true strength, align with our purpose, and invite the magic of creation into our lives.
Keep pushing, keep creating, and keep discovering the magic within the final stretch. What are some of your “final 20% insights”?
FWIW: I credit the incredible, inspiring book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin with the inspiration to follow this calling at this time in my life, and the determination to follow through on the calling to the end.