I don’t know about the rest of you, but I personally dislike it when people are unpunctual. Especially when it is for something that is important. If I made the effort to be on time, then the least that other person can do is to put in the same kind of effort.
Being unpunctual seems to be a perpetual habit with many Malaysians for some reason, although there are a select few who do make a conscious effort to be on time, for which they should be commended! There are even those who have been late for important interviews and business meetings, which is just plain unacceptable. Have you ever thought about what kind of message being unpunctual sends across?
Sadly, being punctual is sometimes is an issue that is not taken as seriously as it should be.
Being unpunctual is one of those bad habits that should be gotten rid of, because being unpunctual shows:
- Your Lack Of Respect: Being unpunctual shows utter lack of respect for the person with whom you have made an appointment with. If that person made the effort to be there on time as agreed upon, why should you show up late? Unless it happens to be a genuine emergency that has caused you to be held up. And “being stuck in traffic” is a poor excuse, because you simply could have left your home earlier and taken that extra effort to ensure you’re there on time. Better to be early that to be late.
- Your Indifference: Being unpunctual all the time simply sends out the message that you just don’t care or can’t be bothered enough. It may not seem like running late is a big issue to you, but that about the person you are keeping waiting? When that person is waiting for you got 10, 20, or 30 minutes even, don’t you think they are bound to feel annoyed or even angry with you and rightly so? It makes them think that you simply did not care enough to take the trouble to be there on time as promised.
- Poor Time Management: Being unpunctual shows that you’re poor in time management skills (especially bad if you are late for job interviews). Again, unless it was a genuine emergency or a situation that you couldn’t control that caused you to run late, there is no reason why you should be unpunctual. Blaming it on traffic jams is a poor excuse, because if you anticipate there might be a traffic jam, why didn’t you leave earlier?
- You Can’t Stick To Your Word: If you told someone you are going to be there at so-and-so time, then you should be there at the agreed upon time. If you’re late all the time, it shows that you don’t keep to your agreements.
- You Can’t Be Relied On: This is especially when it comes to work. If you make it a habit of being late, it shows you are not someone people want to be depending on, especially for important issues or meetings.
Don’t make it a habit of being unpunctual! Take the extra effort to ensure that you arrive on time and you’ll see what a difference being punctual can make!
Image credits: mylot.com, musingsnevercome.blogspot.com, stormseller.wordpress.com, stress.lovetoknow.com, hrmreport.com
