Sleepy, tired and confused - 2010 Tribute, Part 7

It's not unusual. I've had several nights like this one in 2010 when I am tired, stressed and confused. Some of them have been nights when I just could not sleep. I had important deliverables the next morning and I had to take the stretch. On other nights, I have just hit the sack and not cared about anything at all. Those were the nights I decided, whatever happens we will deal with tomorrow morning.

I've got to say I've come a long way. Not until long ago, I used to get very stressed about work. It would not have been so stressful if I had not been lazy and procrastinated on little things. I used to put things off, they would pile and then work would hit me like a ton of bricks. Those nights were the worst. I would not have the energy to do the work, so I would try to sleep it off, but when I woke up in the morning the work pile would still be there, staring at me.

I've clearly won over this tendency. I don't know if it was the 20 months handling a demanding job and also doing my MBA at the same time, but when a deliverable looms large, I either have the energy to sit up and get it done, no matter what, or have the conviction to handle the situation effectively given the amount of time and resource available. My approach in the latter case is direct. I own up what has not been done, but I always have a plan for how I will get it done and by when. Sounds like communication 101, right. True, but it was a long process of confidence building and I feel happy where I am today.

Tonight is of the first kind. We had been out this evening to get some things done and then decided to dine out, so we could just come back home and crash. When I got home, changed into my PJs and sat myself comfortably down on my bed was when I realised that I had promised myself to write 11 days continuously in the run up to 2011. I toggled between the choices I had for a little while and I seriously considered not writing this. But I realised soon that it would be sumitting to the circumstances and not putting up a fight. That would be betraying the goal I set for myself at the beginning of this year - to take stretch goals and accomplish them.

As you can see, I then converted my situation into the topic of this piece and have come this far. I got to say, I've come a long way. I can certainly take this farther and go on and on and about how I've overcome the fear of the future and all that, but it is 1015 PM and I have an early appointment to keep tomorrow, before which I need to get some work related items squared away. I just set my alarm for 445 AM, so I think it's best to save the rest for another day.

Especially given that my wife, who has been lying next to me for the last 15 minutes is not feeling sleepy at all and has been asking me several questions all the while, spanning a abroad range of topics from travel to fashion to medicine...

It promises to be another long night...