Pick Your Battles

So today I had to do a HUGE presentation at placement with my interprofessional education group that I've been part of. It was very nerve-racking as nearly the entire General Medicine team was present, including doctors & managers... And, to make things worse, I KNEW the presentation wasn't going to be on par with past presentations that I've done at school. I'm used to being EXTREMELY detailed-oriented and expect flawless, polished, high-quality work. This presentation was far from being flawless or meeting my expectations of a "good" presentation. It's been difficult for me working with this group because in addition to time constraints, a lot of my group members were very quiet and had very little experience presenting as they're from disciplines such as Medical Imaging and R.T. Sooo, long story short, my Student O.T. colleague & I were debating on whether we should revise the entire slideshow to polish it up. That would mean we would've had to pull an all nighter last night. The "old" Matt Tsuda would've chose the all nighter option without blinking an eye. However, the "new" and wiser Matt Tsuda has realized the importance of PICKING YOUR BATTLES and using Godly discernment when making decisions. As much as I would've loved to be able to revise the entire presentation, I realized that not only would that suggest to my fellow group members that I thought they did a poor job in putting together their slides, but it would also set me back both in terms of sleep and overall well-being. I would've had to grudgingly stay up with craploads of coffee to make all the necessary changes and for what??!! The outcomes of the presentation were not going to affect my life in a significant way, and most of all, God knew that I tried my best for this presentation and that's what truly matters.

So, the presentation went as bad as I predicted today, but then again, I have very high expectations (which is something else I need to change about myself). However, after the presentation, I did not feel an utter presence of shame re: how poorly it went, but instead felt proud of myself for being able to pick my battles wisely and not fall into my old patterns of overworking myself. 

I do think God truly values hard work and dedication, but He also values discernment re: being able to prioritize all the things life brings.  He values when His children can take a stand and realize their own limits and set boundaries for themselves. It's funny, because I never thought I'd be so proud of myself for working less. But I know God is pleased with my ability to continue to let things go, not over exert myself, and prioritize what's truly important in my life... =)