I shouldn't have.

I am very, very, very tired.

Do you sometimes find yourself offering to help someone and then end up regretting it right after the words come out of your mouth? I did that today. In fact, I did that so many, many times today.

I had a classroom training session today. The type where clients come to our office and sit in our classroom and listen to me talk all day. I knew it would be a little challenging since they've had so much turn over in the past and their database is a mess. Because I do not have a choice and training is my primary responsibility, I had to do it.

It wasn't easy but it was not as bad as I had expected. The trainees were actually quite smart and most of them were actually quite nice. But during the entire training session, I couldn't stop myself from offering suggestions on how they might want to customize the database this way and that way and what they should be doing and offering to help them make the necessary changes and on and on and on I went until I had pretty much offered them the world and all the stars in the sky. It was horrible. I could have saved myself the trouble and let them figure it out for themselves. But nooooo! I just had to open my mouth, offer time that I do not have on my calendar and I offered them all the help I could possibly give. By the time I realized what I had gotten myself into, it was already too late. I have already talked the client into the possibility of re-implementation, more training and several conference calls to meet with their managers.

I like helping people. I like being able to assist them in any way I can. I like listening to their problems and being able to offer solutions. But all this extra work I bring myself into can be stressful and exhausting. I should know better... that I cannot please everyone and that I cannot be expected to do everything. But at the same time, how can I not offer to make someone else's life a little easier even when it's a simple database customization or a shortcut to getting something done or what-have-you?

Ayayayayayayay... the things I sometimes do.