Deadlines are hated because they introduce discomfort, but we often are able to use that discomfort as a motivator to get our tasks finished on time. We don't like discomfort so we try to avoid deadlines and keep things comfortable. Comfort is no good teacher. Comfort leads to laziness and complacency.
The biggest deadline that we all have is one that is unknown. Death. We'll all face it someday, but when? Tomorrow? Next year? 50 years from now? Who knows.
We all behave as if it doesn't apply to us. Not that deadline. We take things for granted, lose focus, waste time, don't spend time, effort, money on things that really matter, and get stressed out about problems that will seem laughable 6 months from now.
But some of us have the great fortune of experiencing near-death. So often this roots in a person a fundamental change in which the precariousness of this life we live has reared its head and made that person REALLY believe they will die. A realization of and meditation on that precariousness of our lives makes us free from the trivial things that would bog us down and it helps us push for the stars in pursuit of our goals.
Can you honestly think about death and its finality? Can you use this to motivate you to be more free, more kind, and more focused on leaving your mark?