The Weekly Three, 4/29/24: Followthrough VS. Following Through
They’re not always the same, but colonial capitalism would have you think differently, (ie: in whatever way keeps it going strong.)
Following through is a necessary part of any kind of success. In entrepreneurship, it’s followthrough that gets us from “I have an idea” to “I have a business.” But what does following through actually need to look like for YOU to get your projects across that finish line?
This week we’re looking at what it takes to finish the race, and what it even takes to know where the finish line is supposed to be in the first place…
Welcome to The Weekly Three! Each Monday, I share a three-card Tarot spread to help you focus your intuitive energy in real life, and take action with intention inside your business.
I pull these cards with the collective energy of my community in mind, but if you want a custom spread of your very own, you can get it right here.
Know someone who might like this newsletter as much as you? Hit the button below to share—the more, the merrier!
In The Cards: Following through before moving on.
Craftsmanship, apprenticeship, learning the skills to pay the bills: all things that come with the territory of the VIII of Pentacles. This is a card that knows hard work and focused effort pay off. Since the suit of Pentacles is associated with the element of earth, there’s a feeling of needing to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty in order to really reap the benefits of this card. There’s a very tangible, physical quality to the approach required in acquiring new skills, shaping a structure and putting in the time it takes to do a thing right.
Another card asking us to put in the work arrives with the X of Wands. With this card, we’re taking a creative endeavor past the finish line. It might feel like a weighty burden that we’re really sick of carrying, but if we can just take these last few steps, we’ll have reached a satisfying conclusion.
The II of Wands reversed feels like a light scolding: “Blinders on,” it says. “No distractions until you finish what’s in front of you.” While you may feel a tug toward newer, shinier opportunities, this card, especially within the context of the full spread, is asking you to keep your eyes on the current prize. There will be time for exploration and expansion AFTER you finish what you’ve already started. Those new horizons will have to wait.
In Between: What is “followthrough”?
Followthrough can look like a lot of different things, but as a society, we seem to have a penchant for making it look so… severe. There’s a very harsh quality about the idea of “followthrough” for me that doesn’t have anything to do with actually following through. There’s a feeling of needing to apply a painful amount of force in order to have followthrough. You must be quick, you must be sequential, you must give something of yourself up in order to have followthrough.
People with excellent followthrough are people who won’t stop until a thing is done.
But following through on something that needs doing doesn’t really, in real life, require all that, does it? Like, you can take a break in between… the thing just needs to be complete within the parameters that have been set within this project’s specific definition of “done”.
And right there is the core of my issue with the concept of followthrough: why do the parameters for all the projects on earth have to be so whackadoodle that following through has to be so fucking heavy all the time?
I’m autistic with ADHD, and my process for following through on my intentions, goals and daily tasks can look really, really squiggly (for lack of a better word.) To make the ultimate understatement of the century: I have a hard time doing things, even when I want to - even when I NEED to - and finding a back door to finishing things has always been necessary for me.
I don’t know if it’s necessary for you in the same way, but I know that having times where you can’t seem to follow through, for whatever the reason at that moment, is a universal experience.
Maybe other, seemingly more urgent tasks get in the way.
Maybe you forgot.
Maybe you lost faith in your ability to get the thing done.
Maybe you’re waiting on missing information.
Maybe you just didn’t want to do it anymore, but now you’re coming back to it.
I don’t know.
Regardless of why it seems difficult to follow through on a thing, sometimes coming back to the parameters and definition of “done” might give you a little boost.
Sometimes it helps you realize that you never set them in the first place and you don’t know how to “done” this because you have no signposts to follow. You might have DONE been done with this, for all you know. And yet, this thing has been lingering, whispering not at all sweetly in your ear about your complete and utter lack of followthrough. In this case, check it off the list, move right along and stop being mean to yourself.
Other times, those parameters and definitions remind you of exactly what you need to do next in order to move this boulder over that hill, and it all seems less daunting. In this case, cool - get to it and stop being mean to yourself anyway.
And at other, other times, you might realize that the parameters and definitions you set were based on the aforementioned whackadoodle standards of colonized capitalism and other not so great systemic buffoonery. We make following through so difficult to begin with, it’s no wonder we burn out trying to get it done.
OF COURSE we’re stuck. OF COURSE we’re too exhausted to keep going. OF COURSE we would rather give up than keep subjecting our brains, bodies and souls to this kind of self-inflicted torture.
The businesses we start out of our heads come along with a whole slew of other things that also happen to be in our heads. Like our subconscious societal programming, for example.
Do the tasks and projects you’re responsible for have parameters and definitions that take your humanity and unique set of requirements into account? Or are you letting the evil overlords win without them even having to lift a finger? Without them saying a word about how you structure your projects? Without them even needing to have a face, a body, a number you can call to file an official complaint?
In Your Business: Get out your toolbox and get to work.
We just got through a huge “life edit” with the recent astrological transits of the past several weeks. You might still be reeling from new realizations, or you might just feel a sense of relief as some of the cosmic tension releases.
This is the period where the loose ends and unstable foundations you unearthed can be tied up and/or rebuilt.
I was listening to a podcast, and one of the guests stated, “The past predicts the future,” in reference to people’s behavior and habits. If this is true, then we are all collectively fucked.
This week, take a look at where your rules for setting rules need a tune up, and which projects you need to apply those new rules to so that you can get them done. Then: kindly, compassionately, humanely-
Get to work.
Understanding what needs to go and what needs to stay is only helpful if you can actively let go or hold on. This is a week to spend in the workshop with your tools and cleaning supplies. Dust and tweak and tighten and toss. Scrub and shape and sharpen and scrap.
The new space that emerges may just be the one to hold the fresh inflow of abundant transformation.
Until next week,
Zoha
PS - The Arcana Shift is a reader-supported publication. Did you find this post helpful or valuable in some way? Consider becoming a paid subscriber or leave a one-time tip to show your support:
About The Author:
Zoha Abbas is a Writer, Editor, Intuitive Tarot Reader and Business Coach who aims to explore the small business conversations around self-trust, critical thinking, reality checks and forging your (not so straight) path to success in the grey-area of real life. Find out more at zohaabbas.com
For inquiries, please email: zoha@theownershipmethod.com