Knowing When Your Chapter Is Finished

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This is Part 6 of my series, How to Leave Something the Right Way.

Some chapters end because you decide they are finished.

Others end because somebody else decides for you.

I’ve experienced both.

And looking back, I think there is something useful in that.

We spend a lot of time talking about starting well.

Starting a new job.

Starting a new business.

Starting a new chapter.

But we don’t talk nearly as much about knowing when something is over.

That part matters too.

Leaving at the Top

When I left Virtues Golf Club, I was ready.

I had spent almost 15 years connected to that place.

By the end, the club was doing over $4 million in gross revenue.

The operation was strong.

The team was in place.

The next person coming in was not walking into a mess.

That mattered to me.

I remember thinking that I was leaving at the top.

Not because everything was perfect.

Nothing ever is.

There were still projects I could have worked on.

There were still things I could have improved.

There always are.

But I felt like I had done my part.

The place was in a good position.

The next person had a chance to succeed.

And I was ready for something new.

That made leaving easier.

Michigan Was Different

My time at the golf course in Michigan was very different.

I was only there for about 15 months.

There were still things I wanted to finish.

There were systems I wanted to watch develop.

There were changes I wanted to see through a full season.

I especially wanted to see the fruit of some of the work we had already started.

But the chapter ended before I got that chance.

I didn’t choose the exact timing.

That part was chosen for me.

And yes, there was some disappointment in that.

I would have liked to finish the year.

I would have liked to see the numbers.

I would have liked to know what another full season of those changes might have produced.

But at the same time, I have to be honest.

I had already started thinking about leaving.

I had reached a point where I was tired.

There was a lot of stress.

There were too many places where ownership and I did not see things the same way.

So when it ended, I accepted it pretty quickly.

Part of me wanted more time.

Another part of me had already had enough.

Both things can be true.

Unfinished Does Not Mean Incomplete

This is probably the biggest lesson for me.

A chapter does not have to feel perfectly finished to still be complete.

At Virtues, I had the kind of ending people hope for.

I was ready.

The operation was strong.

I felt good about what I was leaving behind.

Michigan was messier.

There was unfinished work.

There were unanswered questions.

There were results I wanted to see.

But that doesn’t mean the time there had no meaning.

I still made changes.

I still learned.

I still helped move the place forward.

I still left some things behind that continued working after I was gone.

Maybe that’s enough.

We Don’t Always Control the Ending

I think this is where people get stuck.

We want every ending to happen on our terms.

We want to choose the timing.

We want to finish every project.

We want one last good result.

We want to know exactly what would have happened if we stayed.

Life does not always give us that.

Sometimes the door closes before we’re ready.

Sometimes we are ready before the door closes.

Sometimes we leave proudly.

Sometimes we leave tired.

Sometimes we leave with questions.

The important part is recognizing when the chapter is over.

Because once it is over, continuing to argue with the ending does not change it.

It only keeps you standing in the old chapter longer than you need to.

Take the Lesson and Move Forward

I don’t regret leaving Virtues.

I don’t regret what happened in Michigan either.

I would have liked a little more time there.

That is true.

But I also know I was ready for something different.

That is true too.

Now I get to take what I learned from both places into the next one.

That’s probably how these things are supposed to work.

One chapter teaches you something.

Then another chapter gives you a chance to use it.

You don’t need every ending to be perfect.

You don’t need every project to be finished.

You don’t need everybody involved to agree with how the story ended.

You just need enough awareness to recognize when your part is done.

Sometimes you leave at the top.

Sometimes you leave before you’re finished.

Either way, eventually you have to turn the page.