Decisions and Deadlines

Queen Latifah once said, "I made decisions that I regret, and I took them as learning experiences... I'm human, not perfect, like everybody else." I admire her words, especially the last part because she is absolutely right, we are all human. But I'm starting to learn that everybody else expects perfection. I see this all the time. For instance, maybe a superior figure expects a flawless proposal by eight am the next morning, but they could not finish grading abstracts the night before. It is the complete definition of irony: expecting more from others but being unable to do what was expected of you.

There is this horrible, taunting thing that we call deadlines. Some people thrive because of them, but not me. I understand that deadlines are necessary, but so is peace of mind. As humans, and I know I am not just speaking for myself, we get wrapped up in the mess of all things life. It is difficult to try and navigate a life that is full of dealings because they never go away!

Lately, I have found that I am trying to juggle two main things: work and sleep. Each night, one of them has to be sacrificed and I found that I sacrifice sleep often. Why? Deadlines. I have started to imagine a life without them, and it is not so bad. Sure, there is a bit of confusion, a lack of motivation, and a tendency to get off track, but is that such a bad thing? Imagine if this world did not work on deadlines. Just try it. Not so bad, right? Maybe that life has more sleep, less stress, and more smiles!

I made a decision that now, as I am writing this, cannot figure out whether or not is a bad one. I turned in an assignment late at the mercy of other deadlines I had to meet. Maybe it was not such a bad idea because that night I met all the other deadlines, but not this one. I felt worried for the consequences and a bit panicked. However, as much as life is about decisions and deadlines, it is also about the decisions you make to reach a deadline.