Exhaustion

Whew…what a tough day. The pressure is so thick at the office you can really feel it. Or maybe I can just feel it. It is suffocating. There is so much pressure to get work in, but then I have to finish the work we do have. I have to finish, and have it approved before I can access the funds. Im finding it much harder to get that process done over here. I had two meetings today to hopefully get the two big projects Im working on signed off so we can get the cash in. But the one meeting was postponed for another week. Then the big meeting didn’t go as well as I had planned either. They are caught up with the minute details. They wanted a lot of little things changed. Overall they were happy with the project. But then one person chimed in at the end questioning the philosophy of the main aspect of the project. I held my breath, because if he would have gotten his wish, we’re talking major major changes. But they all realized that they are up against a real deadline. There is a very real deadline of the opening ceremony on Nov. 11 where the Prime Minister will be honored with this video. So we don’t have a lot of time. We had major problems with the Arabic translation with this video. That is really frustrating since it is out of my hands. I have to rely upon others for this, and the people that I relied on totally fumbled it. So we have so many tweaks, I suggested that everyone come in on Saturday to our offices to finish and approve the project once and for all. They all agreed to that. Then…on project #3 that needs to get done we had a bunch of issues. I know I have been talking about these three projects forever and that is the problem. They just aren’t getting approved. Everyone wants to see all these minor changes put in. Everytime they review minor changes magically appear. If we didn’t have this deadline I question if we’d ever be able to finish it. Project #3 has gone through 8 rewrites, and 5 edits, plus an English version created. Each time we have to change it because another executive has viewed it and wants it to go in a different direction. So essentially this project has 5 directors on it. It can get quite exhausting. So today I got a revised script, and we have to come up with yet another almost completely different version in four days. I have to translate the script to Arabic, record a new narration, re-cut the project and do this in the span of four days while trying to juggle all the other stuff. Then I get back into the office completely emotionally and mentally exhausted and my boss rips into me because I haven’t been out on sales calls bringing in more money. I can’t even muster an excuse because he doesn’t want to hear any excuses. I just want to say there is only so much one person can do. Im doing an awful lot as it is. So I redo a sales proposal with Raimond that had to get done and several other things around the office. I feel like the guy that is spinning all the plates. So I had to rush out of the office at 6:30 to get to the practice session for the Funniest Person in Bahrain. I had nearly the entire cast there tonight and it felt great. It is an improv competition but I do like to go over the games and scenarios briefly so they know what is coming. Tonight I felt like a very good director/teacher. My job is to get the maximum performance out of them. We all really like each other and are pulling for each other to be funny. We really entertained ourselves with some of the practice sessions. Im so glad the rest of the group really has taken ownership of their role. Now remember this is strictly voluntary for them as they are performing for free. But they are so dedicated.

OK..that’s the tough part of my day out of the way. The good part is that God is telling me over and over and over….in so many ways, for me not to worry. Worry is a sin, so I am really fighting against that. My faith and resolve is sorely being tested and the Lord knows that. For that reason he is continuing to use avenues to encourage me. Im pretty transparent in this blog as you all know. I do that to show that Im real. And that when God delivers me out of these predicaments you can be encouraged that He’ll deliver you out of whatever mess you are in. God is faithful.