Punctuality and Discipline
Discipline is one of the key elements in the life of a person. The life of a successful person is mostly defined by a combination of factors, including sacrifice, determination, decision-making, and discipline. Discipline implies the ability to make decisions and adhere to them or to follow already established rules and regulations. One of the indicators of discipline is punctuality, an aspect that largely defines and ties commitment and discipline to success.
Discipline is a critical element in many areas of life. This is the case at school, in the military and all disciplined forces, in sports and games, at the workplace, and in day-to-day interactions among members of the society. In different parts of the world, many strong but disorganized, indiscipline sports teams have lost to weak but orderly competitors. Similarly, sharp students have failed examinations or have failed to make it in life due to inability to report to school on time. The same applies to many talented and competent employees whose inability to respect the set rules and regulations at their workplace, or their inability to report to work early has seen them lose the ability to hold down jobs. Mighty armies have fallen or have crumbled before relatively weak opponents due to the reluctance of their soldiers to follow commands. Ultimately, punctuality and obedience play a central role in the success of individuals and groups within the society.
The link between punctuality and discipline is clear. A disciplined person is also committed and dedicated to his or her activities. As such, he is willing to go an extra mile to ensure he achieves the goals and objectives that he personally set, or which have been set by other parties to which he is bound. Rules and regulations at a workplace, for instance, must be adhered to fully. For goals and objectives to be obtained, adequate time must be set aside to ensure each activity involved in the attainment of the goals is accomplished fully. It is in this regard that punctuality comes in as a fundamental element in meeting such objectives. An employee who arrives at the workplace late each day cannot be deemed to be disciplined because he will not be working towards the attainment of set objectives. Furthermore, it amounts to insubordination as such an individual will be working against the well-being of the organization.
Students can only succeed in their studies if they use as much time as possible revising and learning key aspects that they need to know or understand. Arriving late at school or college amounts to unruliness as no one can claim to follow established rules and regulations by regularly arriving late to their workplace. As a matter of fact, many organizations do not specify the expected arrival time for employees. It is expected that all individuals are self-motivated and that they will be at their desks before, say, 8 a.m. This clearly indicates the fact that punctuality is a key aspect in obedience hence the two concepts cannot be separated. An entrepreneur who arrives late at a meeting with a client risks losing the client’s trust hence he will not attain expected profit. Wealthy individuals such as Mark Cuban, Bill Gates, and Richard Branson among others are known to be extremely punctual in their activities, and no meeting gets them a minute late, regardless of the time that such meetings are to take place. This indicates the close link between success and punctuality.
In conclusion, discipline is a central element in the success of every determined individual. As noted in this paper, one of the critical elements associated with discipline is punctuality. Many people are able to follow the established rules and regulations but their inability to be punctual costs them success.
