I was a junior in high school. School was easy for me in those days. Straight A’s with an occasional B. National Honor Society. Beta Club. Played varsity baseball and basketball. Cute girl friend. I was an “all around good guy.” But, all that stuff did not exempt me from a personal flaw called procrastination. I didn’t even know there was such a thing called procrastination. I only discovered its reality and meaning a few years later. But, I was introduced to its meaning and its consequences the very day my insect collection was due in my Biology class, and I wasn’t prepared.. Actually it was the day before.
Someone from the Office entered a class where I was attending to my studies. It was a morning class. The teacher announced that I was to go out into the hallway. When I walked through the doorway, there stood my Dad. He was not happy. He got right to the point, “Jim, do you have a science project due tomorrow?” “Uh, yes.” He continued, “Do you have it ready?” By this time I knew I was in trouble. “Uh, no sir.” I was hoping adding “Sir” might help. He went on, “What were you going to do? Just take an F or a zero?” I didn’t have an answer. He said, “Come with me.” It was trouble with a capital T!
He quizzed me about the project and made a decision. He was not going to let me succeed in doing nothing. He had a friend who taught college Biology at a nearby college. We went there and “begged” for any kind of “bug collection” the professor might have and would be willing to part with. We left there with an obviously “stale” bug collection that would keep me from getting a zero. I was embarrassed, my dad was disappointed and my belief that I could do no wrong vanished into thin air! To this day I am reminded about the consequences of procrastination.
I didn’t mean to not do real collecting. I thought I had enough time. It’s just that I had a girl friend and sports and too many other things to do to care about collecting bugs. So, I just “put it off.” That, is procrastination. And that lack of quality in a person’s character can ruin a well-meaning and capable individual. It can make a bright college kid look really bad. It can make a businessman look stupid. It will complicate life and make you “less than” what you could be.
Today, I try to be a dependable person. When I examine eyes, when I lead a small group at church, or even when I’m presented with a project where timeliness is important… I want to be dependable. Procrastination is not being dependable, neither to ourself nor to others. Make your family proud. Make your spouse proud. Make the community proud by being a dependable person… just leave procrastination out of it. It’s never a good look.
I did turn in my “collection”, got an average grade, barely missed getting a big fat zero, but it was a lesson I will never forget. Be better than I was and learn from my mistake!
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