Adulting 101 – Time

As mentioned last Tuesday in my Thought Tuesday Blog Adulting 101, I believe I have contributed to the growing problem of teens entering adulthood lacking basic skills.  Despite and education system that focuses dollars and hours on testing skills, I can’t find any evidence of testing life skills of students before graduation.  Basic skills such as basic household tasks, etiquette, community resources, getting a job, and finances are lacking.  I also believe that the missing knowledge is an oversight on my part… on our part.  We missed teaching these skills in an effort to cram reading, writing, math, science, extra curricular activities, etc. into their overloaded brains.

Thus… today I begin to change that.  Look out teen who lives in my house.  Here it comes! (all you other teens can listen up too!).

Lesson 1-

“10 minutes early is on time.  On time is late,  Late is unacceptable.”

This is a HUGE secret that many of us have missed!  This life lesson will make you money, help you be happier, help you look thinner, and help you with your relationships.

Seriously!

Being late is unacceptable.  It doesn’t matter what meeting or event you are attending, being on time says a lot about you.

Some people believe that a meeting time or a deadline is a mere suggestion.  There are reasons people set meeting times and deadlines.  These assigned times allow for a coordination of efforts, minimizes time and effort wasted, and helps set expectations.  do you really think anything would be done in this world if everyone lived by a “go-with-the-flow” attitude?  That is inefficient, among other things.

Being late is disrespectful.  Being on time is about respect.  It signals that you value and appreciate the other person or persons.

Being late is inconsiderate.  Being late demonstrates to others that you just don’t care.

Being late is all about timing.  Being late is all about power.  It shows the other person that you are a “big deal”, that you have control in the relationship.  Well… that is rude!

You loose credibility when you are late or miss deadlines.  If you can’t be counted on to be on time, how can you possibly have credibility when it truly counts?  Do you want to be known as a “flake?”

Being late costs money… your money and the money of the person you are meeting or is counting on you.

Being late is proof that you are not organised.  If you can’t keep a calendar, what other parts of your life are a complete disaster.  Being late is a signal that you are hanging on by your fingernails.  If you are organized and perpetually late may be an indication that you are over scheduled, can’t prioritized, or “can’t say no”… none of which makes a good impression.

All that being said, I admit, I am occasionally late.  Sometime true emergencies happen.  When they do happen, call in advance, explain the details of the issue, apologize profusely, and don’t let it happen again!

Being on time is not about being stresses, judging others, or being up tight.  Being on time makes room for makes room for caring, considerate and thoughtful people to interact.  Think about it.  Wouldn’t life be better if you could count on people to do what they said they would do, when they said they would do it?

Make this your motto!

“10 minutes early is on time.  On time is late,  Late is unacceptable.”

Class dismissed.