Lately I have been thinking about when to stop. As my friend so frequently reminds me with the following phrase: "start at the beginning and when you get to the end - stop".
But where is the end? How do you know?
Sometimes it can be really obvious, but more and more I am realizing that it isn't always so black and white. In a slightly trivial example, I am currently searching for a great hotel to stay at in NYC. Now we are only there for 3 nights and we only have 2 full days and want to maximize our time in the city. There are so many factors at play here, location and price being at the top of the list, but we also want to stay somewhere nice, it is ladies weekend afterall and we want to indulge a bit. So how do I know that a hotel is good enough? If I keep looking maybe I will find a better deal? I don't want to be disappointed!
Similarly, I was just discussing with someone the perils of shopping for a wedding dress. How do you really know that you have found the perfect dress. Some people say that there is just a feeling and you just know. But what if you don't get the "feeling" or you get a lot of "feelings" how do you decide? And how can you be confident that once you commit to a dress you won't change your mind.
Obviously, these examples may seem silly, but this idea applies to greater things as well. I am once again working on my manuscript. Another situation where there is no set completion point. You write a paper, you do your best to make it thorough and credible, but now you need to adjust it to fit the audience you are hoping to submit it to. Does it ever end? There will always be revisions you can make, so how do you know when you are at the end and just STOP?
What does it take to be satisfied?
