On Time is Late, and Late is Rude!

I say this to my children often. They don’t get it; but they are 10 and 12 years old. Over my career I have watched people race from appointment to appointment. Literally running into meetings at the last minute out of breath and sweating. Not good!

You can have anything you want! You can even have a meeting go completely your way. But first you have to visualize it. Visualization will get you what you want and desire. But you can’t truly see anything if your running around like a chicken with their head cut off.

My staff will tell you that I am between 10 and 15 minutes early for every appointment. Why? So I can release the stress of thinking about the meeting, worrying about the meeting, preparing for the meeting, and getting to the meeting. During that extra time I sit and visualize how I want the meeting to track. I start the meeting in my head, presenting the agenda and take the meeting from beginning to end with the outcome I desire. If you try this you will be amazed how well it works.

I once had the opportunity to hangout at a golf course the week of a professional golf tournament. I was there watching the players arrive, watching there practice rounds, chatting with the caddie, and finally watching the four days of the event. During a practice round I asked a caddie why his players walk down a fairway and drop a ball in a particular location and then hit on to the green. He said,” Because he will be there tomorrow.” Well I have played a little golf and know it not that easy. “How does he know that he will be there,” I continued. Well the caddie opened up to me and said “tomorrow morning before his player’s tee time he (the player) will sit in his hotel room and play the course in his mind. What he is doing on practice day is taking the pictures he will use as he runs through the day in his mind.”

You need to do the same thing with your life. You can have anything you want you just have to see it first. You can’t see it if your running late!