It is an interesting question and one which applies to all of us, I think at one time or another. I know that in my own life i can currently think of two examples, one is attempting to write my 18th Century novel, and my second example came up today in conversations i had with my doctor.
As i have previously briefly mentioned, I broke my left wrist back at the beginning of August whilst on holiday in turkey and had to have two operations, one to fit a metal plate in my wrist and a second one just over a week later to repair the tendon in my thumb. As a result of my injury, i have been signed off work since returning to the UK as I work in a call centre seven hours a day, and one of the main things i do is typing on a keyboard. Only having use of one hand for the last 6 weeks and then having 1 week in a splint I had little movement in my wrist or fingers and was having Physiotherapy.
Anyway, I was hoping to return to work on Monday 4th October as i have a lot more movement in my fingers and some movement back in my wrist and i even informed the management staff at my works, that i expected to be cleared for work on monday when i went to my hospital appointment today. Unfortunately that didn't happen and i am now signed off for another three weeks as i still don't have sufficient movement despite all my exercises.
Initially i felt disappointed when i heard this. I felt guilty knowing that I wouldn't be returning as i said i would, and felt in some way as if i was letting down my 12 or so other work colleagues who are having to cope at the call centre without me at one of our busiest times. I also felt like i was letting my manager down as i had said i would be back but i am not. I have been feeling all of the above to a degree for sometime and looking back i think i was being over ambitious in believing i could go back so soon, after all i still cannot drive, i struggle to do most of my chores like washing up, and don't use my left hand now. Going back to work next week could be more detrimental to me, as if i over did it at work by straining my hand i could do even more damage and be off work even longer.
I rang work and updated them and they were fine, but even now i still feel the pangs of guilt inside me.
Are we programmed as humans to try to do too much?
I think we are, we juggle busy lives trying to balance our work life with our personal life. We place pressure on ourselves to be perfect at everything, we work 40 hours a week come home, then start the routine chores of cooking, cleaning, vacuuming, dusting so that by the end of the day we have probably spent more time doing some form of work than we have relaxing and so the balance that we strive for simply does not exist. Yet society finds this acceptable! Why is this? They say that 'nobody's perfect' so why do we try so hard to be perfect?
Sometimes trying to achieve the impossible is a good thing and it is essential to society. If you think about it if no one ever tried to achieve the impossible, there would be no electricity, no lightbulbs, no cars, no telephones, no computers, no internet, and so many other things - You certainly would not be reading this now unless all the 'Blog' had been invented - and in this context trying to achieve the impossible can be a good thing.
So placing pressure on ourselves to try to do the impossible - is this a good or bad thing? I think it depends on what that impossible thing is that your trying to do, and as long as you remember that you're only human, and that sometimes things are called impossible for a good reason then only you will know whether you are being over ambitious or not.
I know that I have set myself an impossible task, I am trying to complete my first draft of my novel by the time i return to work in three times. Is this possible?For most people - yes - for me? All i can say is watch this space and I'll let you know!
expected number of chapters in novel : 26
completed: 4
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