Flaking Out - The Inability to Commit to Life

I recently celebrated my 30th birthday, on Valentines Day to be exact. My boyfriend decided to arrange a special dinner for me, and sent invites out about one month prior to the date. Most of whom were invited, enthusiastically accepted, but the day before the dinner itself, several of them began dropping out, presenting a whole host of excuses. Everything from I couldn't find a babysitter, to I'm just too tired to come out this evening. I had a wonderful time at my party, but the next day I felt the sting of disappointment in friends that I had known for over a decade. Two messages could be derived from this action. Celebrating a milestone with me was not work the the time or effort or, people are just incapable of committing.

My close girlfriend, a dedicated paralegal assistant who works a sixty-five hour work week, has three children and is suffering from multiple sclerosis was front and centre for my special night. If anyone has a reason to stay home, it would've been her, so a week or so later, I called her up for a coffee, and we ruminated over flakey people. It would seem that we all fall into this invisible hierarchy in life. If your boss asked you to lunch, to discuss your career, would you use some lame last-minute excuse to get out of it? Of course not! You could be committing career suicide! But if your girlfriend asks you out for drinks or coffee, some of you wouldn't think twice to cancel. Why is that? Well, one of my theories is that people consistently bite off more than they can chew, and the more they try to multi-task, the more ineffective they are with their schedule. But delving further, I honestly believe that on the whole, humans are selfish, self-serving creatures, and if we don't see something in it for us, we place little importance on it.

I live in a city that is particularly famous for flakey people, and I decided that after surviving a decade of diva behaviour, I'm setting some ground rules. When I make arrangements to meet someone, I always call them the night before to make sure everything is on the up-and-up so I'm not left in a lurch. To ensure that I don't turn into a flake, I never double book. Everyone deserves my utmost attention, and vice versa. And if someone makes it a habit of flaking out on a regular basis, I call them on it!

Life is far too short. There are 7 billion people on the planet, if someone in your life is being a consistent flake, have a chat with them, and if you feel like you're getting no where, cut them out and move on!