I missed a deadline yesterday.
Thankfully it wasn’t for a client; it was for me.
After spending many hours writing, editing, and rewriting an essay to win a much-desired scholarship, I blew it.
When I was ready to submit my cover letter and essay on the website, I couldn’t get the link to work. Every time I clicked it, the link took me to my personal information instead of the page to submit my entry.
I pulled up the information sheet on my laptop and quickly reviewed it, looking for clues regarding my submission attempt.
And there it was.
I had missed the deadline by hours when I thought I had hours to spare.
The sheet clearly stated the 5 pm Eastern Standard Time deadline. When I had entered contests sponsored by this company in the past, the deadline was usually 11:59 pm EST. Unfortunately, that was the deadline I had in my mind.
I was suddenly filled with feelings of anger, frustration, and disbelief.
Then, I began making excuses for missing the deadline, placing the blame on Daylight Savings Time.
It’s ok to laugh.
I am currently in Arizona, and the time change moved me from Mountain Standard Time to Pacific Standard Time. Without touching a clock!.
Instead of being two hours behind EST, I was now three hours behind. It’s not my fault!
Of course, it was my fault.
I had attended a meeting earlier in the day held in EST, and I was on time. And that argument is flawed anyway because I was trying to submit it around 5 pm PST, which would have made it two hours late in MST, instead of three hours late. Except I thought it was due at 9:59 MST, so I was within the deadline.
Did you get that?
Excuses just flowed from me. Then, after trying to place the blame anywhere but where it belonged, I got mad at myself. I missed a deadline! I should have written it on the calendar. I wasted all that time on an essay that I can’t submit
There was no excuse.
Anger turned to disappointment at losing the opportunity to have my essay entered. I turned to a friend for understanding and a sympathetic ear.
After learning what happened, she shared how she handled the time zone differences and kept track of deadlines. During our conversation, I accepted responsibility and agreed it was a lesson learned the hard way.
As strange as it sounds, I started to feel better when I took full responsibility for missing the deadline.
I changed my mindset.
I worked harder on that essay than any writing I had done recently, and I learned more about myself and writing in the process.
The exercise will assist me as I go forward in my writing career. The process I used to write it is one I will use for future articles.
Sure, I still regret not submitting it, but I no longer regret the time I spent writing it.
I believe I wrote a strong essay, and I am proud of it.
By focusing on the positive results rather than the loss, I can use this experience to benefit myself.
