Being a medical teacher, I get roiled more by laggardness of students than their lack of knowledge. Last week, as typical of me, I arrived well ahead of the scheduled start of my class. But a handful of tidsoptimists arrived late for the class, though by only a few minutes. The latecomers appeared hasty and anxious upon seeing my prying eyes, and scrambled to hide behind the punctual students. When I asked, everyone had a reason for being late.
Being punctual is not about just being on time. It tells a lot about the person. I am not sure whether any other virtue has a similar connotation of expressing the attributes of a person as wholly as punctuality. In our daily life, we meet only two groups of people: the punctual and the laggards. The punctual person has several attributes and a certain attitude that enables him or her to be punctual. He or she is consistently punctual for every event in life and does not discriminate between important and unimportant events. It is a way of life for such persons.
Punctuality reflects the integrity of a person. It indicates that he is brutally honest. He is honest to himself and in his commitment to others. When he has decided in his mind to arrive on time, he has stayed true to his own words. His probity with the event is also evident here. His honesty in respecting the people associated with the event is clearly noticeable.
Punctuality indicates that he is an organised person. His habits are streamlined and well planned. It shows that his activities of daily living are habitually timed. Punctual people are prompt even in day-to-day activities of life. They are not slackers or happy-go-free attitude persons. For them, punctuality is imbibed in their genes. They are well on time in every incident — catching a train, at the movie hall, meeting a friend, joining a dinner, attending a class, a doctor’s appointment and so on.
Punctuality shows that his relationships are well in place. If we are in loggerheads with our spouse, room mate, friends or family, we are more likely to be not punctual. In a tangled life, being punctual is never on top of our mind. We are not at our comfort levels. Our sleep could be affected and we may be uninterested to pull ourself out of our bed, to be on time. An unhappy person cannot be punctual. The converse is also true, I believe. The efforts that a person renders to have stable and peaceful relationships with people around him personally and professionally are reflected in his punctuality.
Punctuality exemplifies the foreseeing capability of a person. He is able to run through in his mind the events that lead to the main event so that he can overcome any possible delays. He is able to plan all the potential bottleneck zones such as the common bathroom of a home, busy lift in an apartment complex, cramped parking lot of an office or a clogged road that leads to the workplace. If one can foresee such impediments and avoid being late, it is natural to foresee such barriers in professional life and make yourself a successful person.
Punctual people are perfectionists. Punctuality denotes the superior time-management skills and an inclination towards achieving perfection. Hardly you may find achievers who have not been punctual in their commitments. Procrastination is the surrogate child of unpunctuality. So, being late is not just an act of missing the correct schedule. It tells about you as a person collectively. Next time you see someone consistently punctual, give him a salute.
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