Sustain

As the finish line approaches, starting is no longer the challenge. We have committed. We have focused. Now we have to sustain the momentum long enough to finish what we started.

The final stretch of Rubber Soul fascinates me because of the pace The Beatles maintained. During the last week of recording, they were still creating new songs, returning to unfinished ones, adding overdubs, and working increasingly long sessions. On November 11, with the deadline closing in, they worked for 13 hours. “You Won’t See Me” and “Girl” were recorded, while “Wait” and “I’m Looking Through You” received the additional work they needed. This was not a quick burst of inspiration. They had to sustain their energy, concentration, and creativity until the work was finished.

Sustain means more than keeping busy. It means carrying something forward after the initial excitement has faded. A new idea can give us energy. A deadline can give us urgency. Neither guarantees that we will stay with the work. Sustaining momentum requires us to keep showing up when the work becomes difficult, repetitive, or uncertain.

I also wonder whether something besides the deadline was sustaining The Beatles. They were discovering new possibilities in the studio. They were stretching their songwriting, experimenting with instruments and sounds, and beginning to understand that the recording studio could become part of the creative process itself. Imagine realizing, together, that you are onto something. That feeling must have been difficult to leave behind.

Maybe that is why the momentum did not end with Rubber Soul. Only a few months later, The Beatles returned to the studio and began recording Revolver, pushing many of those creative possibilities even further. The finish line for one project became the starting line for another.

I feel some of that through Four Weeks to Rubber Soul. Showing up every day has created momentum of its own. Some days have come easily. Others have required more effort. Each day has reminded me that creative momentum deserves care if we want it to last.

Today’s word is Sustain. Keep showing up. Protect the energy around the work. Stay curious about where it might lead.

Momentum gets us moving. Sustaining it helps us discover how far we can go.

Check out more in today’s reel: