Day 96 – on ending well
‘must be near the end. Have decided it should be natural - we shall march for the depot with or without our effects and die in our tracks.’
The diary of Captain Robert Falcon Scott as he reaches the end of his South Pole adventure provides a stark example of how to end well.
As he lay in his tent, waiting for the end of a blizzard that never came, he knew he would not survive. With his companions beside him, he wrote his journal and he wrote to those he loved, comforting the wives of men who died, reassuring those in charge of the expedition that they had been right to send him, giving an account of what had happened to the public so that no blame could be wrongly attributed.
As I read his record, certain lines linger in my thoughts:
‘We could have come through had we neglected the sick.’
‘geological specimens carried at Wilson’s special request will be found with us on our sledge’
‘we shall march for the depot with or without our effects and die in our tracks’
Captain Scott’s dedication to his expedition was complete.
And beyond the scientific discoveries and records his team made, he left his example.
And that continues to speak to us...
Reflect:
* Where are you facing an ending? What does it mean to complete it well?
Experiment:
* Today take some steps to end well. It might be finishing a project. It might be completing work ahead of a summer vacation. How can you harness courage and conviction so that your example speaks to others?
Tips
- Ending well is intrinsically linked to purpose – reconnect to your original intention
- Thanking and reassuring others releases them from lingering obligation and self-doubt; your words have power
- Document or safeguard your discoveries so that those treasures don’t get lost
Note: Scott, The Last Expedition (edn 2012), pp. 429, 438, 427.
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