We were discussing the wisdom of Yogi Berra and Vince Lombardi on a Saturday afternoon. Perry, the car salesman, shared his favorite Lombardi quote, “If you”re not early, you”re late.”
So true; I grew up with the philosophy and responsibility of arriving everywhere 15 minutes early and leaving the house with a half-an-hour leeway to get where I was going, just in case.
I remember taking a psychology course in college. A woman in her early 20s showed up late to every class. The professor addressed the issue one day. “Why are you late?” he asked. She giggled and said, “I”m not sure why, but I cannot make it on time anywhere. Maybe you can tell me what”s wrong with me.”
He did.
He told her she was inconsiderate and disruptive. “You think your time is more important, valuable, than other people”s.” He said she lacked respect for others. I think that was true.
Woody Allen said, “90 percent of life is just showing up.”
In school attendance matters; tardiness impacts your grades. It”s an important life lesson that applies to every person.
The same type of attitude can be witnessed on the road. There seems to be an increasing number of people who endanger and punish other drivers because they leave their homes too late to arrive to work or wherever their destination may be, on time.
Some drivers exceed the speed limit and others take it a step further, passing on the double yellow lines, tailgating and engaging in road rage.
Aside from a life-and-death emergency, there is no good excuse to behave this way. It certainly is selfish to put others at risk simply because you have not learned to manage your time.
Responsible time management is similar to good credit. People who consistently arrive late cannot be trusted, they are unreliable.
Billions of dollars are lost and stolen annually from businesses because of employee time theft. Theft of time includes employees who are not working while on the job. It”s more subtle than stealing tangible items, but nevertheless it”s equally wrong.
People should work when they are at work. That is a minimum expectation really. Taking personal phone calls, watching YouTube videos and otherwise engaging in activities that have nothing to do with your job should be done on your own time. For one thing, in an era when work is difficult to find, it is a kick in the face to those who are unemployed and would welcome the opportunity to work at all.
Those who have an excess of time and feel bored, could volunteer. Wasting time can be unfulfilling. Giving time improves the well-being of the community and often of the person volunteering.
It is my preference that people know if I am not where I”m supposed to be on time, there is cause for concern.
I think the book from 1938, Dale Carnegie”s “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” still addresses time management brilliantly.
People steal time, waste time, live on borrowed time and abuse time, when time is truly of the essence.
“Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day, you fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way. Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town, waiting for someone or something to show you the way. Tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain and you are young and life is long and there is time to kill today. And then one day you find 10 years have got behind you, no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun. And you run to catch up with the sun, but it”s sinking, racing around to come up behind you again. The sun is the same in a relative way, but you”re older, shorter of breath and one day closer to death. Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time ? The time is gone, the song is over. Thought I”d something more to say.” ? Pink Floyd
Mandy Feder is the Record-Bee news editor. She can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or 263-5636 Ext. 32.
