You have been working for this project for months. The deadline is next week. Everything is running smoothly. The last few pieces arrive in your inbox three days before they are due. You go to put the final touches on it, knowing right where you need to pay special attention to detail. Time to go home and relax.
The morning you are to turn it in, you sleep late, get to the office ten minutes before you need to send it off. You give it the once-over and notice where you forgot to do something…crucial. In the remaining eight minutes, you stuff thirty minutes worth of work with the degraded quality that level of fast forward creates.
Four hours later, the boss calls and asks what you have been doing for the last three months to justify your salary.
Take driving lessons from Hans Herrmann?
Sound familiar?
Not your job?
You and Quaint have been seeing each other casually. You both decide to begin dating exclusively. You hit all the high notes like Birgit Nilsson:
- Remember important dates
- Punctuality
- Engage pursuits outside your sphere
- Talk to people who are not yet your friends
- Listen
- Know when to make moves and not
- Empathize
Now, you are Mates. At the end of your day, all you have on the brain is unwinding, vegging in front of the screen, going to relax with your friends, venting, being alone.
No more high notes. You could give Isaac Hayes a run for his money.
Oh, that.
Then, there is the most heartbreaking example. You have a personal goal within your sights: weight loss, dropping a bad habit, beating the top level of a game, finishing a manuscript, mastering a recipe, completing an art project, reading a book…And you let it all unravel in a matter of moments.
No one to blame. No act of a higher power. No catastrophe. You did it. (Pretend a four year old is asking.)
Why?
Stop for a moment and take the poll. Why do we go a million miles per hour to get ahead (or catch up) and trip at the finish line?
This is the beginning of the Tripping at the Finish Line series. All of the poll options, some of the add-in answers, comments on this post and the original questions which began this series will be addressed.
Thank you for reading the 600th post on M3.
MysteryCoach
/ August 21, 2012I did the poll and I put in there that, for myself, I’m not sure what steps to take and there are things that I know I would prefer someone else to do, while I work on the meat of whatever it is.
As an example. Marketing. I’d rather not do the marketing I prefer someone else to take that in hand because I have other things I want to focus on. Since I am easily distracted it makes sense to delegate certain responsibilities to people (even like book editors and the like) who are more proficient at those things, then I am… just makes good sense to me.
MysteryCoach recently posted..~ Brawl @ Hair Salon ~ (Almost)
Red
/ August 22, 2012I do not see delegating as dropping the ball. It is responsible behavior. Hmm. Going to have to think about that one.
MysteryCoach
/ August 22, 2012Sure … I mean that’s what business owners do. Like law firms as an example. Someone does the bulk of the paperwork so the atty can be freed up to do other things. Someone else does the payroll, office management etc., …
I had a friend at my one firm, if I ran a business of my own, she has a memory like a steel trap. I would want someone like that working for me and they would be assigned very specific tasks. 🙂
Which, of course, would free me up to do what I needed to.
MysteryCoach recently posted..~ Job Interviews ~
Androgoth
/ August 21, 2012Wow is it the 600th posting already, I wonder how many I have commented on? I know that I haven’t been your top commenter that’s for sure and I have missed loads lately, indeed sometimes when you post something I feel totally out of the loop, not knowing of what you are talking about without having a quick backtrack, and to be truthful it is just not good enough I know that…
I will have to try harder my great friend but there is one thing that I do know and that is your total commitment to this Website that you have wickedly and lovingly created, it has all the ingredients for a fine recipe and I also know that everyone that calls here (apart from the idiots that find themselves starring in your Friday Follies) enjoys all that you have on offer 🙂
Have a delightful
rest of evening Red 🙂
Androgoth XXx
Red
/ August 22, 2012Many. You have arrived at the beginning of a series. This will be the first one in over two months. The posts are moving independently of one another, with the exception of the Friday Follies. Glad you stopped in, Andro 🙂
Binky
/ August 21, 2012I think fear of success is often a part of it. I think we also don’t want things to change too much as we get used to where and what we are. And sometimes we just enjoy the journey so much, we end up prolonging the quest.
Binky recently posted..Incriminating Breath
Red
/ August 22, 2012I like your optimistic closing statement rather well.
Binky
/ August 22, 2012A little delusional rationalization can sometimes be effective.
Binky recently posted..Incriminating Breath
Red
/ August 22, 2012LOL! It really can. But you have me on a complete different track which still leads to tripping at the finish line. It will work 😉
prenin
/ August 21, 2012Hmmm… I’ve been lucky in that I’ve always been able to finish projects despite insanely short time scales! 🙂
Now I have my third manuscript festering on my hard drive I am discovering that creativity is getting harder! 🙂
I will not give up though! 🙂
Love and hugs!
Prenin.
prenin recently posted..Tuesday – more chapters.
Red
/ August 22, 2012Ah, Pren, you must sometimes leave the muse in the lantern for her beauty rest. I would think it the perfect time for video games. 😉 Stimulate all the fun chemical pumps in your brain. {HUGZ} Red.
Tess Kann
/ August 21, 2012With me, it’s procrastination. The more time I have, the more I waste. Sometimes I work best under the gun–I think–and then I find a blistering error.
More often, I run out of time and must wind the project five minutes ago.
Tess Kann recently posted..Curious Meets Crazy
Red
/ August 22, 2012Another interesting answer. Is it more missing the proper gauge on time or ability or concentration? I think all three affect the last minute faux pas.
Lizzie Cracked
/ August 21, 2012My dad and I were talking about this the other morning i think I had taken the poll.. and defeating self talk and basing your performance on a past history ..I guess a fot example would be easier.
When I was in elementary school, we took the Presidential Fitness Test which consisted of timed runs and pull ups and sit ups etc. Ea of us had to go up to the bar or the mat and do the task..while the rest of the class watched. Not a very fun thing for a fat kid. (it was me I dont have to be pc) in fact it was traumatic becaise the kids were mean AND the teacher.. encouraged them…
fast forward to hughschool i ran Cross Country all three years..loved practices hated meets. then the Army I was in the best shape of my life – helathy wieght and muscle tone…never had a problen running in TT best mile times.. until i got to the test that you had to pass to stay in… i blew it every time – not failed but it was always a huge effort until one day i heard inside my head..the PE teacher saying i better move my tubby butt and my inside voice (in my head)veing rude nasty and telling e I would fail why bother,, it took awhile and evey now and then when I am struggling with a workout I catch that voice,,,,
600 ! Right On!
Love you,, hope you are sleeping maybe or where ever you need to be.,, <3 Lizzie
Lizzie Cracked recently posted..The Tao and Te of…. Me
Red
/ August 22, 2012I think that sounds like performance anxiety. Not that you could not, but you could not on demand. Hmm. Another interesting addition to the mix. Thank you <3 600 rocks! Sleep does, too. Perhaps, I can have some delivered.
Valentine Logar
/ August 21, 2012Fear of success.
Distraction.
Boredom.
Or the ever so slightly screwed up thought that there is something better just around the corner and we missed it.
Valentine Logar recently posted..Native Tongue
Red
/ August 22, 2012I like the concepts of boredom and the grass is greener idea. Hmmm.
Alexandra Heep
/ August 21, 2012“Four hours later, the boss calls and asks what you have been doing for the last three months to justify your salary.”
I thought you were going to do a blog about The Congress after reading that line. Oops.
Alexandra Heep recently posted..Dog Days of Summer: What is Your Ideal Vacation?
Red
/ August 22, 2012<<< No politics.
Alexandra Heep
/ August 22, 2012Oops. Someone rated it up, lol. Alas, I tried to delete it, but I can’t. Please do so for me.
Alexandra Heep recently posted..Dog Days of Summer: What is Your Ideal Vacation?
Red
/ August 22, 2012LOL! No big deal. I engage in no politics here. And neither did you 😉
Angela
/ August 22, 2012Perfectionism and fear of failure get me a lot. Self-sabatoge – I see it all the time. Why do we do it? Hopefully you’re going to tell us ;]
Angela recently posted..Political Communication: Is it possible?
Red
/ August 22, 2012LOL! I will. I hope you voted in the poll. Easier for me to collate the answers 😉
El Guapo
/ August 22, 2012I would argue that you’re letting someone else define what the line is and what success is.
El Guapo recently posted..An Adventure – Bungee Jumping
Red
/ August 22, 2012That is a viable answer which I do not find argumentative in the least. The question then becomes where does the culpability lie?