“Just a minute, please.” How many times a day do you hear that phrase? When you do hear it, do you believe it? Of course not, but you are probably too polite to dispute it. This short phrase or perhaps request is often used regardless of the time that is really needed. It expedites action and compliance by simplifying a negotiation over the time that one really needs. Have you ever wanted to take out a stop watch and see how long that “minute” really is? Or, do you respond with, “well, I haven’t got a minute.” What if the other person said “just ten minutes please”, how would you respond to that request?
Sometimes we hear “just a second.” Now that request is really hard to believe. Do you have just a second? What in the world can possibly be done or said in a second? Do you think there is a difference between someone who requests a second and someone who requests a minute? Is this difference due to a personality type or are the “second” requestors just speedier then the “minute” requestors? Which camp do you fall in? Are you a minute or a second requestor? On the other hand, perhaps you simply ask for the time that you need. How many people do you know who really do this? When was the last time you said: “I need fifteen more minutes?”
Would life be easier if we were all more accurate? Of course, what would life be like if we could not spare a minute for someone else? What would the world come to if no one had a second to spare? Are you forever to busy to help others in need?
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