Deadlines…Deadlines…Deadlines. Every day there is one more to add to our to do list. Life is more than a series of met deadlines and checked off to do lists. Instead of using the word “deadline”, use “lifeline”.

Do you remember playing the Cruisin’ USA video game when we were younger? In order to keep on racing, you had to reach certain checkpoints within the allotted amount of time. You wanted to get there in time because it would allow you to see new parts of the course that you never saw before. It was like a “lifeline”. In our daily lives, we use word “deadline” a lot. I think it stems from our competitive, fast-paced culture and our belief in Darwin’s survival of the fittest.

Imagine viewing your next assignment like the race game. Instead of seeing it as a sprint to the next checkpoint, think of it as an opportunity to explore uncharted territory in the near future if you excel. Keep in mind that when you excel at something you don’t like, you’ll attract more of what you don’t like. We kill ourselves and stunt our own growth when we willingly accept things without being vocal about our goals, passions, and needs. When you are passionate about the assignment, it becomes a lifeline; there is no such thing as a deadline when you feel alive. There is only one deadline in life that truly matters and it is meaningless if you never truly lived.