I spent my morning consulting for a client and then promptly switched gears to work on a major campaign I was asked to coordinate. This campaign was to be a huge opportunity and if pulled off would have resulted in major recognition and an increase in future contracts. Until yesterday I had put in 40+ hours so far with another 30 to wrap it up. I had consulted with others in my industry, spent hours researching as well as coordinating and hiring people to work under me to complete the task. Everything would have built up to today with the bulk of the work happening today, tomorrow and Friday. Not only had I been working on the campaign but I had been videoing the entire process to use as a promotional video to show what myself and my team are capable of. Since I'm a bit of a control freak I had been shooting the entire thing "Survivor Man" style increasing the amount of work for myself on top of everything else.
On my way home from work my phone rings. It's the Hospital informing me that there was a cancellation for the following day and they were able to bump me to the top of the waiting list to have a required surgery that has been troubling me since Summer of 08. The issue? I would have to abandon the campaign completely, let go of all of the hired people and cancel the contract, all of this a few days before it was to be completed. What were my options? Not take the surgery and let the problem continue to worsen and affect my quality of life until another opportunity knocked? Take it and cancel my life for a month as I recovered? Lose the month of march? or possibly lose a summer or fall month when my industry is at it's busiest?
I had to take it. Fuck, balls, pissed!
I started making phone calls so I could start fires and then try to put them out. Oh what a shitty day. Yay for burning bridges.
Continuing my drive home I stopped to pick up some books to get me through the 2 weeks of bed rest I would be forced to endure. Distracted thinking about all of the things I had to complete in the next 24 hours I locked my keys in the car. I'm 20km from a second set, my keys are sitting on the seat next to thousands of dollars of equipment, laptop, etc. I can't just leave it there, it's a thieves dream, car full of goodies and the keys on the seat. I call my girlfriend, she can't get a hold of anyone she knows to borrow their car. Most of my friends are at work until 5 and I have a meeting in an hour and no way to get a hold of the people I'm meeting. I'm screwed.
I slink into Starbucks to have a coffee and think about my situation and the large dump that life has decided to take on me today. I start calling people. I finally reach Jon, he's free until 4pm and can come get me asap.
I return home, tired and frustrated. My phone rings, it's an out of province number, ugh, must be more bad news.
Wait, it's a client, they want to hire me, they ask for a quote there and then. I give them my rate (this is the point that most say it's out of their price range) They don't even hesitate, they hire me on the spot. This is great news, the initial payment will pay off my loans and I'm scott free from debt. Then my brain interupts. Turns out that this job will conflict with another job I agreed to well over a year ago, I have to bow out. BALLS! More crapping of life on yours truly.
So what kind of things happened to me today that always happen to me?
Well I got to go for a nice drive to do some consulting, listening to the new In-Flight Safety album, I can use the time already invested in this project to help improve for future projects, I learned many valuable lessons that I would have otherwise not if I had not signed on for this project.
The free medical care that we get in our country called me and said they had cleared a spot to relieve me from further pain and discomfort. I was able to contact my friends and family and have them offer their support for my recovery.
I called a client that was really happy to have me on their project and inform them of the situation, they were disappointed but looked forward to working with me.
I was lucky enough to have a car to lock my keys in which allowed me to sit down and enjoy a coffee reading the newspaper while a good friend dropped everything to offer me his help.
I got a call from across the country from a client that I've never met who was willing to pay whatever they had to so they could procure my services.
I honestly, laughed my way though the entire day yesterday. Sure I was disappointed but I didn't dwell on it. I know a lot of people that would have pretty much quit life after a day half that "bad".
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