Last Minute Effort

Negligence is one blunder that has no excuse. Its consequence results into repentance that is too late to have its say. Minor issues can make major differences. Today, such a thing led me to a missing opportunity; and here, I stand, out of place surviving the penance.

This reminds me of my childhood days, where the scores of my mathematics unit tests (generally conducted every month out of 25 marks in our school) would take the shape of an ‘almost sinusoidal curve’, if plotted.  They were never consistent but every alternate test was a full mark; 25-18-25-20- and so on.  A low mark in a particular test made me realize and alerted me for the next test, where I used to be extremely finicky .This inconsistency was mostly because of my callous attitude towards looking at symbols and complacency in performing minor calculations. It was negligence- it started then and still did not end. 

As I grew up, there were a few more instances whose aftermath effects were much more intense.  I still remember my Dad telling me- there is every chance to rectify a mistake and move forward; for example, you fail because you dint study, there is every chance that you do well by preparing for it again. There is a wide scope of improvement. But when you put in all your effort and prepare yourself and you realize that all went in vain just because of a flaw in the ‘last minute effort’, it is of no use to repent later! The hard work which we put in for the completion of a task to reach 90%= hard work we need to put in for improving the 90% to 95%. The scope is very less in this case and attaining this 5% is much more difficult than reaching the 90%. This is achieved if utmost care is taken till the completion of the task, and here comes the ‘last minute effort’- which negates the complacency attitude and eliminates negligence. That is the reason we find many in the 80%-90% group and few in 90+ range and very few in 95+ range. (The percentages are to explain the performance of a task and its evaluation out of 100).

Today, I have lost a chance to- check where I stand, to know my caliber, and finally to avail an opportunity to understand my strengths and weakness. We do not know what opportunities we get in the vicissitudes of life; I have come to realize not be very presumptuous about things and learn to live in moderation.  I wonder, if I can….