I really struggle with deadlines. I’ve always had the hardest time with them. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it’s my ENFP personality or just the perfectionist in me not wanting to turn in something that isn’t up to the highest standard, but I just really struggle to complete projects by when they’re actually due. Am I trying to change that?-- heck yes! Is it at all easy?-- no way.

For the last couple months I’ve had the chance to write for Odyssey, and it’s been really good for me. I’m consistently learning what it means to be a good writer, how the whole process works for writing for a website, and the way deadlines work. I’ve also learned how much work I need to put into learning all those things better.

Some things that go on in life you can't just push it off. Real jobs have real deadlines. That’s the way the world works, or so I’ve been told, and there aren’t a lot of jobs that don’t have time commitments and stuff that needs to be sacrificed for.

Deadlines push me to be more on top of things, because if I keep up with them, then I’m less stressed to finish all the things that come after that. They can be extremely helpful rather than harmful, and I’m learning to appreciate them for what they can add to my schedule and to my learning curve.

Excuses aren’t good enough, and they don’t actually matter. I think I’ve made the excuse that it’s just a part of my personality, or I can’t do it because I need to be inspired. Truthfully, what I realize now is that’s crap. It doesn’t matter what you think about your personality or what people tell you you’re little box of capability is. You can change. Sometimes it’ll be harder for you than others, but adaptability is always possible.

Either you learn how to follow through or you fail, and you let down those around you. My worst fear in life is that I would mess up, and in turn let people down because I couldn’t follow through, but when I add so many things to my schedule and then don’t follow through because it stresses me out then my worst fears tend to be realized.

I’m finally starting to realize how learning to meet a deadline is changing me. I’m becoming a better student, a better worker, and a better friend, and I’m a big fan of that, but I’ve got a way to go.

Thankfully for me, in the midst of learning how to follow through on my deadlines there is a world of grace. But people have been so patient with me my whole life, and it’s a wonder sometimes to me that they’ve stuck with me because I think I can make it pretty hard. I have frustrated a lot of people over the course of my life when I don’t meet deadlines. There have been times when I’ve put a lot of unneeded pressure that could've been easily waylaid if I had just done what I said I would on time. But through their help, and an attitude that I can change how I do things, life is going to get a whole lot easier.