Being Respectful of One’s Time

If anything is for sure in this universe it is that time cannot be recouped. Time is the one thing we don’t know how much we have and can’t get/earn/hustle/steal back. Time waits for no one.

So you would think given its precious nature, one’s time would be respected and not wasted. Not so much, and especially in our own communities.

Over the weekend, I arrived at my hair salon for my regular appointment to find my hairdresser frustrated. Three of her appointments that morning were no shows – no call, no respect for this woman’s time. She had been there ALL morning waiting for these three no shows. This is time she could have used taking other appointments if she had know of the cancellations in advance, caring for her daughter and grandmother, sleeping in, or simply doing nothing at all. Instead, she organized her morning such that she didn’t get to spend valuable time with her family. All because several clients didn’t follow through on their appointments – their commitment to show up or cancel if their schedule changed.

Time wasted, and money lost. We can do better.

This is just one instance of many where someone’s time is not respected.

For some reason I’ve never been one to accept CP time. That coupled with impatience makes for constant frustration of friends who take an appointed time as a suggestion to be rounded up to the next half hour or more. The most frustrating part for me is a feeling that my time isn’t respected. If we agree to meet at 6 pm, I’ve organized my day in such a way to make it there on time, cutting short infringing activities to arrive on time. So I’m usually the girlfriend arriving at 6 pm for dinner only to wait 30 to 45 minutes for my dinner companions to arrive.

Same thing goes for the workplace.  Yes, emergencies happen. But they are the exception, not the rule. And we are judged by our basic ability to show up on time. 

As I remember learning years ago: To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is unacceptable.

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