Respecting Time

Time is precious. Most of us feel like we don't have enough of it. Or that it flies by. We often rush from one thing to another, frantically trying to cram as much into one day as our poor under nourished bodies will allow (guilty as charged). But I would like you to stop and think about time for a moment. Think about what it means to you. Think about how you dislike having your time "wasted" by someone or something.

When I worked in Corporate HR (I know...how did I survive?), people would constantly show up late to meetings or not at all. They would all say "I'm so busy. I don't have the time." but would then complain about certain matters or people wasting their time. Or demand that others waste their time on fulfilling their own needs or wants.

When you consistently arrive late, you are telling the people who are already there, wherever there may be, that you do not respect them or their time. When you show up late for a gig, you are telling the client that you are better than they are and that their timeline isn't important to you. When you show up late to a meeting you are informing the attendees that their start time isn't worthwhile for you to acknowledge. And when you show up late to a class, you are telling your teacher that the moments prior to your arrival weren't important. You also distract the students who made the effort to ensure they arrived at the appropriate start time.

When I discuss being late, I am talking about chronic and consistent lateness. Our culture is rife with it. I am not talking about accidents slowing down traffic or your boss keeping you late or your kids pitching a fit and preventing you from leaving and despite all your efforts you just can't make it on time. I am talking about the mentality of "It's only five minutes, nobody will notice."

The problem is, people do notice. And then they stop calling, they stop being flexible, they stop depending on you or including you in events. When I set a meeting with someone at noon, I have the expectation that they will be there at noon. When someone shows up 20 minutes late for an appointment without a phone call, text or email, they are telling me that my time doesn't deserve respect.

I also believe that we need to stop and smell the roses, but the roses can be smelled when you are on your own time, not when you are making 10 other people wait for you to do so.