Robin Sloan in the conclusion of the latest issue of his (wonderful!) newsletter:

In replies to my previous edition, several people used the same simple phrase: “Keep going.”

This strikes me as an ideal response  —  ideal encouragement.

“Keep going”, as in, you’re not there yet. And maybe you’ll never get there, wherever “there” is. But we can tell you’ve got your gaze set on something; and we understand that nobody else is going to find out what’s down this road, if you don’t; and we want to know what’s down this road. So, keep going.

I think this is one of the most energizing things you can say to someone, and I’ll now tuck it away for my own use. “I like it” is nice to hear. “Keep going” is FUEL.

It struck me after publishing this morning’s note on finishing things that one of the reasons this is such ideal advice is that the only way you ever get to that sometimes strange mix of satisfaction and joy is… by keeping going. I think about this often in the context of my symphony. Maybe it will never be played, but I will be glad to have finished it someday — hopefully someday this year or next — and after all that is the only chance it ever has of getting played.

So, as Robin says: Keep going!