There Is No Late

Yesterday I planned to work a wellness expo at the ADA with my Assistant General Manager. I was excited to do the event, especially since it would break up the monotony of walking around straightening weights and tidying up the gym. Further, it was an opportunity to sharpen my presentation and sales skills, and work with my AGM and learn more from him. Of course, it was "that morning" where I was running pretty close to "on time" and I should have had some time to spare getting in to the gym. The plan was to meet at 8, then head to the event down the street. That means, be ready by 8. During my commute, I need to switch trains at Belmont to catch the red line, and usually it's pretty much clockwork on any given weekday morning. As I walked out onto the platform, I noticed more people than usual waiting. After a good 5-10 minutes or so, a voice came over the speaker telling us of a mechanical problem the train was experiencing. Great. That day. A few more minutes passed and a crowded train finally pulled up. I forced my way on and had a spot near the door. We approached my stop at about 5 minutes to 8, and it takes a little longer than that to make the walk, so I ended up strolling in a minute past the hour, rushed down to change shoes and gather what I needed. I headed upstairs at around 9 after 8, and Don wasn't pleased. "Why are you late?" I really wanted to explain, but he stopped me. "There is no late."

The event went pretty well, and we were actually on time for the event. The point is that many of us find ourselves in these situations where we could realistically blame outside factors for tardiness. It is when we realize that we should plan for these things as if they are certain they will happen so we can avoid them. Does this mean that we'll be early most of the time? Probably, but to quote one of my old managers, "To be early is to be on time, and to be on time is to be late." Think about that regarding the time you plan to get up, when you plan to pick someone up, or really, any schedule that you try to keep. Are you prioritizing and holding these events to a high enough importance that you prepare well enough? If you are just "on time" then you're missing the boat. In any event, things happen. Don't get frustrated. Rather, accept that you are late, breathe it out, and do your job. It's much more important you clear your head and do your best rather than dwell on the fact that you are late and let it ruin your day. Control what you can control. That said, pretty much the only thing we have any control over is our own attitude. Realize this, and snap yourself back into a positive mental attitude. Be early today, and thanks for reading!