The Lesson I Learned The Hard Way
There are many lessons to be learned in life. Some lessons are gained from advice given by the parents, teachers, pastors, and friends; and some lessons are experienced in painful ways that impact our lives deeply. I think that each one of us has has to have one thing to learn in a hard way in our life. The thing I had to learn the hard way is that there's a serious responsibility to take, and that procrastination shouldn't be a way of living.
Of course, in my previous life I thought there was always time to do things later. I often put off doing personal goals, assignments, and responsibilities. I told myself all the time to do it later, I will do it tomorrow.” It didn't look out of the ordinary initially, as I typically got some work done before the due date. For this reason, I was never a procrastinator. Little by little, I was not aware that I was causing myself delays which were impacting my growth and discipline.
There was one that really turned my head around. I had an important project to work on in my last year of school. The project was taken seriously as it would make a significant contribution to the final product. The initial period I had sufficient time to get ready, conduct research, and set up all the arrangements. But I went too far with the opportunity and was too relaxed. I had some time for activities that were not of importance. I would mess around on social media for hours, watch a movie, chat with friends and only keep saying, "I'll get to work later.
Our supervisor continued to tell us to start early in case we didn't want to be rushed at the end. There were also my friends who began their projects earlier than me, but I wasn't taking things seriously. I knew that I would always see him again in the depths of my mind. Sadly, time passed, and I needed to catch up!
When the deadline got near, I began to be afraid. I realized I had a lot of stuff that I still needed to get done. Pressure was my friend then! I was having to do chapters and corrections late at night and sometimes all night till early in the morning. It just got too stressful for me. I got emotionally exhausted, frustrated and anxious. I sometimes wished that I had begun this job sooner, but it's never too late.
What was difficult, was it was not my best work that I turned in. I knew that had I used my time well, I could have done much more. I did not do very well and was disappointed when I saw some of my course mates doing so well because I knew that my problem was not I'm not smart enough, it was I'm just not disciplined enough and not serious. It hurt me so badly because it was a lesson to me that time is forever gone once it's gone.
I think I knew right then, the wisdom of Proverbs 6:10-11 “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth.” This Bible verse took me aback because I realized how much opportunities can be lost and suffering can be caused by laziness and procrastination.
One thing I learned from that was to listen to advice is extremely crucial for me. Sometimes, those around us may have already sensed danger but we may be tempted to remain oblivious because of pride and overconfidence. I would not have been stressed and have had so many regrets if I had listened carefully to my supervisor and acted early.
After that experience I have been attempting to alter my behavior slowly. I now make an effort to plan my work now before the last minute approaches. If I have something of significance to do, I remind myself of the painful experience I went through. It keeps me disciplined and on track. I'm not flawless right now but I can say that I've come a long way from being me.
I'm now much more inquisitive about learning. I think that no one knows all things. A teachable person will go on growing, and a person who won't let himself be corrected will go on making the same mistakes. The child of a good hand is wise, the child of a bad one is foolish; Proverbs 12:1 This verse is a reminder to me of the wisdom of taking correction as part of growing in wisdom and maturity.
Hindsight is 20/20. I can say now that I'm a better person for learning the lesson the hard way. I learned responsibility, time management, discipline and seriousness towards the future from the experience. Though it hurt then I am thankful for it because it did help in getting my mindset right. It is sometimes the most difficult lessons that make for the most powerful people.
Nowadays, when I see someone putting off something important, I always tell them not to do the same thing I did. Time is valuable and opportunities don't come twice. Some errors we can make, but lost time can never be retrieved. This is the lesson I have learned the hard way and one that I will never forget in my lifetime.
I invite @eveetim , @xkool24 and @mikitaly @sahmie and @bossj23 and @benton3 to drop a very constructive comments on this post and also to participate in this contest.