We always think deadlines can be useful. Well of course they are, they provide us with a sense of direction and purpose and a TADA! as we get something done in time. The other side of the coin is those who continually suffer from other people's deadlines, the so called provider-of-deadline-allowers. Ever thought of them?
The reality is that whether someone obligingly promised hand over heart to accommodate you, life may go differently. There can be technical malfunctions. There could be a cyclone. They might have the flu. They didn't look when crossing the street and their fresh undies were exposed. You simply can never tell what happened. Sometimes they are sorry they missed your deadline that you feel you have to pay for their counselling fees. Other times there are those who may lie to your face. (It is a very grey area. Tread with caution.)
Mooodlies recently had a deadline crossing. Actually Joi and my deadlines went up in smoke on more then one occasion. We were a bit taken aback but deliberately decided to not blow a fuse. Instead we discovered that a) some people who are deadline-providing-allowers are not as excited about their job as you are about them finishing it and b) have a plan b in order to always have another deadline-providing-allower on board you can count on.
Naturally you may not have the option of a plan b because you have signed a deal or legal arrangement with partner a. In that case another solution would have to be sought. At the end of the day though: life is life and can take us by surprise no matter how well we plan, fret, worry, dance or run with it. The key is then to relax in the knowing that life continues as before and that it's up to us how we react, not the other person. Also I would strongly suggest to work with people you trust, somehow they have the tendency to respect you and thus are happy to aid in your deadline addiction.
I would like to share the following with you that Joi so neatly wrote:
" I make stuff because it releases schools of fish from my thoughts
I make stuff because it keeps my hands busy
and my mind fizzy
I make stuff before stuff makes me.
It's the same reason I think in dialogue,
despise voice chats
see in pictures
even numbers (there are calculators for such problems)
I make stuff before stuff makes me.
When stuff makes me
I have no control of the the way I'm written
and that can't be good
as I end up with too much ears
and very little heart
or too much heart
and not enough tears
I make stuff before stuff makes me."
The world is made of stuff. Make it fun yeah!
Every day I read about people in business, people in creative endeavors, people in social media, people in mundane jobs, people that are successful, people who worry too much or people who have been so fortunate to make it to a ripe old age with their wits intact. It's not so much what they do, but what they decide on how to live their life, or how to react to their circumstance, that make them so special.
Once thing that I have discovered, and that has again become amazingly apparent of late is that: being a blend in figurine is not getting you the attention you require to increase your street-cred, your pay rise or your business expanding capabilities. The irony is that we become more successful, or better at what we do by being funny idiosyncranized beings who become ourselves. Fitting in does NO wonders, as it's not miraculous. At times it can be smart to lie low and fit in, but when you're in business: all that sets you apart is what makes you exceptional. Being our nutty special selves is what actually matters.
The key to exploring this yourself is to find a Partner in Crime. They understand perfectly and are ever so helpful in pointing hiccups out. I have a friend who is reminding me and teaching me at the moment. She can be loud, she can be crazy and most of all: she is so talented it's coming out of her ears. She knows what she's is talking about especially when it comes to her profession and she speaks like she thinks. There is no polished fluffiness to cover the rough edges. I appreciate that. I think that this genuine-ness and happiness about daring to be the rough cut diamond is what business nowadays is about too. When you have your own business especially, and when you have a product that has a great story. (Big cooperates can go back to their long term planning now. Thank you.)
I tried to explain to someone very dear to me that it would make no sense for me to do the blending in things, the being too careful things, the over thinking and waiting forever to see how things pan out things, because when you're in business: taking the risk and going with your guts, having that momentum far outweighs the cautiousness. Naturally one ways pros and cons as we're not stupid, but when the gut says GOOO we are out the door.
The truth is that if we wait for things to happen, to become clear to us, they never will. Time is now. Sitting on your arse and thinking till your blue in the face will not make a difference. And I have to say: I rather get on with it. And I can happily say that I am. Life is good!
(Sorry I still can't tell you about the great projects and new websites and products that will be launched, they are all in the making. Shhhhhhhh.)
picture by Hugh MacLeod: Gapingvoid
