I Believe In Being On Time
Being on time has become my way of life (and dictates my everyday actions). It has helped me succeed as I attempt to break into a fierce job market and it has saved my life, and now I am captivated by the seconds and minutes of each and every day.
About a year ago, I had a job interview at a very competitive marketing firm. I arrived 15 minutes early and waited nervously in the reception area. As soon as I took a seat in the interviewer’s office she reached out her hand and said “congratulations, you got the job”. She continued by saying “we were deciding between you and one other person, and the other person showed up 3 minutes late, and you were 15 minutes early”
I have not always been so organized and timely throughout my life. As a young child growing up in NYC I never put effort into anything and was labeled as lazy, unorganized, and untimely by everyone from my friends to grandparents. I was almost kicked out of school for constantly being late and unprepared for class.
It wasn’t until the first day of 8th grade that I changed my way of life. I was committed to being on time for the first day of school, which began at 9:15am. I was up at 8:00 AM, dressed and ready by 8:30 AM, and walking to the garage shortly after. At 8:40 AM I arrived at the garage with my mom and by 8:45 we were driving away from the garage. At 8:46 am on September 11th, 2001 the first American Airlines plane flew into the world trade center, less then a block from my parking garage. I do my best not to think about how my life could have been changed by mere seconds or minutes on that day, but instead I thank my need to be on time, and thank my belief that being on time was a necessary change in my life.
Time isn’t always right, not every clock tells the same time, and time wont always be on my side, but for now it is and has been and I’ve made it my personal philosophy to respect it, and to believe in being on time.