When was the last time you were right on time?

Right on time! This phrase could be seen as a compliment. I would guess most of us would take it that way. Another way of looking at it might be to say, you were correct or exactly on the time we agreed on. Whatever way you look at it, most of us appreciate it when someone is “right on time.” Generally we reply to a compliment with a “thank you.” However, few people ever seem to answer: “thank you” to someone who is on time. I wonder why we don’t seem to recognize people who are complimenting us for being on time? Do we simply expect people to be on time? Therefore, it is not really worth a real compliment.

If you think about it, being on time is not such a common phenomenon. In fact, if you think about it, it is not very common at all. How many times each week have you gone to a meeting that started late or that several people showed up late for? How many events that you showed up for on time started late? I have often seen them delay a plane take off because a bunch of people were arriving late. Of course, I feel bad for the people who might miss their flight but I am also concerned over my connections and missing my departure schedules. You are sitting on the plane wondering how long they will wait for the late comers.

Being on time is not a natural state of affairs. People who are on time have to work at it. It is not easy to be on time. A great deal of effort, responsibility and planning are needed to be “right on time.” Any time someone does something that makes your life more pleasant, isn’t it worth a compliment? When people show up on time, it makes my life easier and more pleasant. No one today has a great deal of time to waste just sitting around waiting for someone who is irresponsible and thoughtless. Yes, sometimes accidents happen. However, have you ever noticed that they always seem to happen to the same people? The same people are late over and over again. Thus, maybe we syould compliment those people who work at being on time.

What if you started thanking the people in your life who were right on time? How would they react? Would they feel more appreciated? Would you like to be more appreciated for the effort you make to be right on time? Would being acknowledged for or acknowledging the effort by others to be right on time make any difference in your friendships or in your life?