Ever since I was a small child, my dad ingrained in me the importance of being on time. As an up and coming entrepreneur, his professional image was pretty high on his list of priorities, and what better way to teach himself a lesson than teaching his daughter? As we got into the car for church, or for a volunteer opportunity, or even for school, I would always ask my dad "why are we leaving a half hour early?" His response was always the same, though the wording changed -- time is a precious commodity; respect other's time, and they'll respect you.
And so, as I grew up, I would repeat that mantra wherever I went. I would show up to parties early and help set up. I would be aggravatingly early to events at school -- events I wasn't even a part of -- just to see if they needed help. My teachers started to take notice of my punctuality, and in the process, I found that I Was getting recommended for prestigious positions left and right. As I moved into the high school, more and more people took notice. I became climbing a ladder I didn't even know was there. Remarkably, I rarely had the skill necessarily required to be put in some of the positions I was in. I found myself in consistently new and different situations, all of which challenged me and kept me from stasis. My impact on my high school grew until, by senior year, most everyone knew my name and I was in charge of several different activities.
Now, you're probably asking "Great, Greer, you're bragging about your golden high school years, congrats!" And you'd actually be a little right(what can I say? I may have peaked in high school), but that's not the point. My point is something deeper than that. The lesson that my father drilled in to me from an early age is not something that is commonly taught, at least not in my experience. My ability and determination to be early to everything is unique and definitely an admirable quality.
So, then, how do you practice punctuality? It's actually pretty easy. Always plan at least 15 minutes in advance. Seriously. That's it. No matter where you're going, or how long you know it will take to get there, tack on an extra 15 minutes. You won't believe the difference it makes! Suddenly, you're more prepared for the day, you have some time to remember stuff you'd forgotten, and you can even have some one on one time with whoever you're meeting with! I can't even begin to tell you how many brownie points I've received simply by being early to meetings, classes, and events. Everyone can have and refine this skill, if only they'd work at it. Be the one who does.
I'll leave you with this quote from my years of marching band: "If you're early, you're on time; if you're on time, you're late; if you're late, you're left behind."