This phrase was made familiar to us on the television program "Mastermind". If you ever watched this program of mental challenge you will probably still hear this phrase ringing in your ears from time to time.

For some of us, however, it can also be a fairly good description of our instinctive temperament and nature. Some people just cannot rest until they have "gotten the job done"; others can walk away, go home and relax even though there is much work remaining upon their desk for the following day.

The "I have started and so I will finish" person will put themselves under pressure to finish their task as quickly as possible; they will not let themselves stop and rest. They will work through lunch, arrive early, leave late and even put off using the restrooms until in a state of dire necessity!

I know this very well; I have an intimate knowledge of this personality trait because I am this person. Most of the time this trait does produce positive results, depending upon the job which you do or the tasks which appear to be a necessary part of your world. But sometimes, it can work against you and you do eventually have to learn how to pace yourself; you have to learn to be satisfied even when the job is not completely done.

If you don't learn how to pace yourself, step back and refocus you put yourself in danger of burning out. When that happens you do nothing. Your desire for "completion" can indeed stop you from doing anything at all. In this way it works in the same way as perfectionism. A true perfectionist will often find that they do not even embark upon a task because they make it so huge and difficult in their own mind that they become overwhelmed.

Ultimately what we all require in life is balance. A balanced approach will usually achieve the best results in the long term; and you will not burn yourself out in the process.

If you have an "I have started and so I will finish" personality then it is extremely important to learn how to stop, watch, listen and return to being in the now; beware of your instinctive tendency to strive towards a future goal which takes you away from the now. You will only feel happiness in the now or feel at peace in the now.

Similarly, if you have a perfectionist streak, it pays to recognize its inherent immobilizing dangers and learn how to step back and alter your focus. We are not completely stuck with our natural tendencies; everything can be tempered, relaxed, relieved and balanced so long as you choose to take steps to achieve this aim.

Whenever one wishes to affect a few "tweaks" to their natural temperament and tendencies hypnosis is a valuable ally. Hypnosis allows you to access your inner mind and change your deeper rooted beliefs and habits.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis downloads for well-being.

P.S. Find out how easy it is to relax your mind with hypnosis. Grab a free hypnosis mp3 from my website now.