Late

It is always better late than never. 

In life, we always strive the best to be early or on time. Though the efforts, sometimes some things may end up unexpected. Some people will be demotivated. Some people will be neutral. The really successful people will continuously strive for the best. It is regardless of whether or not there is success or failure, these people have the courage to continuously challenge themselves. They are the one percent (1%) of the entire world's population. 

Are they the rare species? 

Perhaps it is meant to be. 

Perhaps it is the determination that makes them who they are. 

Are we capable of that? 

Perhaps we all are if we have the right attitude.      

    

Early

Anything can be the reason for rising early. It could be something we have in mind. It could be something that bothers. It could be something out of the ordinary. What is early to some may be late for others. It all depends on the perception and the situation. 

If there is a long walk uphill before we can witness the most beautiful sunrise at the peak of the mountains along the beautiful morning mist, 2 am is considered late. 

If there is a long day tomorrow to handle meetings and greetings with various people and scenarios, 2 am is considered too early and could jeopardize our entire day. 

If we are in a holiday mood and there is nothing much to do the day after, 2 am is just a time that does not matter because we can sleep until our body is ready to wake up at any time the next day. 

Everything depends on just one thing. What is there the next day?  

    

Routine

What do you do when you wake up late on a work day?

Each one of us have our daily routines that we do that seem important day in day out. But there will be days that we find ourselves too tired to wake up on time in the morning and having to pick and choose which routines that we must complete before we really get out that door to head to work.

How do you determine which activities you must do?

First things first, the toilet visit is a must. We must clear ourselves of the toxins that our body worked hard to collect over the entire night while we are asleep. No matter how rushed life is, we must remember to remove unnecessary things out from our body in order to function well for the rest of the day. One must never skip toilet visits, especially the first one in the morning.

What else is there that we must do before we walk out that door?

Some people have very simple routines. Wake up. Get cleaned and they are good to go. However, most people with families have more complicated routines in the morning. There will be some that needs to prepare breakfast and pack lunch. There will be some that needs to water the garden and feed the pets. There will be some that need to take care of the young and elderly. We each have our own problems and difficulties to face every single time we open our eyes in the morning.

Sometimes, we tend to think of everything else before ourselves. If you have been on a plane, you would have heard of this very important announcement before the plane lifts off. In case of an emergency and the oxygen mask drops from your overhead, always put the mask on yourself before attending to others under your care. This announcement is very important as we always tend to care for everyone else before looking into ourselves.

Perhaps we have forgotten one very important point. We can only take care of everything else if we are in the proper position to doing so. Just imagine having to take care of your child, or your parents, or your pets during the time you are sick. How does that feel? Just imagine having to give positive advice to others when you yourself are having low self-esteem and out of confidence. Do you think you will be able to handle everything in a mindful way?

It is important to spend at least 20 minutes every morning to ponder upon yourself. This is the most important thing you must do every single morning whether you wake up early or late. It does not matter the time. It only matters the space. You need the space for yourself. You need to look within to move further. You need to first tend to yourself before helping others find their way. You need to be in good shape. This 20 minutes can be your daily stretches, or your daily meditation, or even your daily workouts. Just do it. It is only 20 minutes after all.

Great parents will say they need that 20 minutes to prepare breakfast for their children.
Great children will say they need that 20 minutes to care for their parents.
Plant lovers will say they need that 20 minutes to water their garden.
Pet lovers will say they need that 20 minutes to feed their pets.

We always have choices that we can make. How about taking that in between instead of sacrificing one or the other? Is it possible to take 10 minutes to yourself and 10 minutes for others? Give yourself time to uplift yourself. Give yourself time to think and be yourself. You will feel the difference, instead of just rushing through your already late morning routine. Is it possible for you to call in to your boss to inform that you woke up late this morning and that you will be late for work. Admit your fault. Your boss may be angry. You may get a warning for this misconduct but at least you are doing what is most important in life. You take care of yourself as well as the people close to you.

Waking up late is no excuse for self-ignorance. Any routine can be adjusted to fit whatever limited time one has.

 

Spontaneity-flexibility within a routine.

Marty Rubin, Self-titled aphorist, philosopher bum and happiness freak

Early

The early bird catches the worm!

We have always been told to be early for everything and anything. This cannot be far from the truth. When the opportunity is here, we best catch it and make the best of it before it leaves. Opportunities are everywhere. It is up to us to identify which one suits us best. When we are certain of it, go all out.

Many times, we see a problem as a mere problem. Our mind is somehow locked in the problem itself and we never see the opportunity every problem brings us. It is a test. A test to see how well we cope with situations. Time can tell. We may not be able to see it now but we actually learn best in difficult situations. When there is no turning back, when there is no room for error, that is when we perform best.

It does not matter if we fail, it only matters if we learn from our past mistakes and make more educated decisions along the way.

Usually we want to be early in meetings. It sets a great impression to the person we are meeting. We show that we are keen on the agenda. We show that we respect the entire session. However, being early is not the only thing we should focus on. Preparedness is also a matter of consideration. If we are merely early, we are only showing respect to a certain extent. If we are early and prepared, we are hitting the bullseye. That is the ultimate goal we want to achieve.

Though there may be unfair advantage in some situations, we should always do our best at tackling all prospects. We always look on the bright side but should also always prepared for the worst. What can happen if we are to fail? What can happen if we are mocked? What can happen if nobody cares?

We have to have a clear mindset that nothing ever matters more than life. If we are not appreciated at that moment, it only means that we have another chance ahead of us to do better, to be better. There is always something to learn everywhere we are, in all situations. We just have to stay focused and look beyond what is clouding us at that very moment. Sometimes, no matter how hard we look, we never find. Perhaps it is time to pause. Just pause, and get out to look at the world or get in to look within. The answer is always there awaiting for us. All we need is clarity.

Everyone has the same number of hours in a day. How can we make use of all the hours we have wisely?

The human mind works best when it is quiet. The sense of pleasantness is something money cannot buy. It can only be obtained when our surrounding is serene. Serenity can come from within, or harvested from nature itself.

What do we do when everyone else is asleep?

Be different. Be unique.

Most people will drag their day to the midnight hours and tell themselves that the night is still young. While stretching ourselves beyond limits, we should actually do it wisely. Discipline is very important to achieve whatever goals we set in life. Many of times, we think that going out having fun till late nights is the way to mingle and connect with friends and opportunities. However, by doing that, we are actually selling off our time and health for a small return. We are lack of sleep and we drag our tiredness to the next day and the day after. What is it doing to our life?

If we really want to be successful, model how the top one percent (1%) of the people in the world live their life. If we really dig deep, we will find that they are all early risers. They sleep when the world is busy partying. They work when the world is asleep.

Stillness is before dawn. The air is freshest. The sky is still dark. Just as the birds are waking up. Just as the nature is beginning a new day, so are we. That is the best time to tap into our true potential. That is the best time to bring the best out of ourselves. That is the time when our mind is clearest.

Good morning early riser! The day is great and I am prepared for it.

 

The time just before dawn contains the most energy of all hours of the day. This has helped me become an early riser and an early doer. When I wake to see that it’s light out already, I feel the world has started without me.

Terri Guillemets, American author

Late

Many things in life are measured by time. Time is just one of the ways to determine our success.

Late is a word created to let us know that timing is important in many cases but is not a death sentence in most. We have to understand the possible origin of the word.

In the past, life is harsh. The early humans learn from the hard way. They live by the weather. They have to be prepared for the worst. There is a season for hunting. There is a season for agriculture. There is a season to stock up. It is just the way life was. Every little time they have, they need to use it wisely or it is a matter of life and death, not only for themselves but possibly for the whole tribe as well. Therefore, they stick to their strict schedule day by day, year after year. If they are just a day late, everyone’s life could come to an end.

In the current day, life is not as harsh. Humans have found ways to deal with difficult times. There is no need for hunting for food. The agriculture industry has expanded far and wide to provide for the worlds’ needs. We can buy any type of food we want, produce from any country we desire, at any time we choose to. Food is easily available everywhere, any time.

Unless we are staying in a desert or a barren ground, nothing is ever too late.

There are still people living in scarcity. They need help from everyone else from around the globe to get them through difficult times. If we think that life is unfair to us, think again. At least we have a place to go back to every night, called home. At least we have people who care about us in any situations, called family. At least we have ourselves to return to in a sane mind. Not everyone is as lucky as us.

Self-positivity is the only way to remind ourselves that we are fortunate.

We should be grateful for what we have and help the lesser in any way we can. Lending a helping hand to others is always the best way to show gratitude. One can only help when one is grateful. One can only be grateful when one has something to offer. Life is fair. It is never too late to extend help to those in need. It is an action that will improve the life of others. It is a noble act.

We are always hustling through life in the city. People living in urban areas often have a shorter lifespan compared to those in the countryside. While life in the city is full of colours, we should learn to strike a balance between the vibrant lights and the calmness within.

Whatever that is external, leave it be. There are many things that we cannot control, many events that make us regret. Whatever has happened is history. There is no turning back. Whatever that is going to happen has not arrived yet. Why waste time worrying about it? Living in the present is how life should be.

Whatever that is internal, we can explore. How much time do we spend on ourselves? Not the time we put on makeup, not the time we face the computer or mobile phone, but the time we just remain quiet and listen to our inner voice. We usually have all sorts of reasons not to do so. There is no time to doing so. Life is only as busy as we want it to be. If we have time to spend on work, friends, and the social media, we surely can spare a little for ourselves. We have to understand that the only person who will be with us till our last breath is none other than ourselves.

It is never too late. We may be late for work, for that important conference, but we can never be too late for what we want to achieve. Perhaps we are ageing but age is not a hurdle, it is an advantage. With age comes experience. If we had not done it before, that means the time is not right. If we stop ourselves now because of the wrong mindset, we are just allowing negativity rule on us.

Life continues. Pursue now, it is never too late to start.

 

Everybody, soon or late, sits down to a banquet of consequences.

Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson (Robert Louis Stevenson), Scottish novelist, poet and writer, 1850-1894