There’s an old saying that goes, “If you are five minutes early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late, then you’ve got a lot of explaining to do.” I couldn’t agree more.

Perhaps one of my biggest pet peeves — the thing that consistently gets on my nerves more than anything else — is tardiness. Being late, consistently. I just can’t stand it. It’s tacky. I hate when I’m late and I can’t stand it when others are late.

I’m not talking about when you’re running behind schedule because of unforeseen traffic or an emergency (a real one; not, “I was checking my Facebook”). I’m talking about people who are consistently, day after day, week after week, about 20, 30 (or more) minutes late. You know you’ve got a few of those people in your life. If you don’t, chances are good that you are that person. Sometimes they’re so consistently delayed that you tell them the 8:30pm movie starts at 8:00pm just to make sure they get there “on time.”

Here’s my issue: when you’re late, what that says to me is that you don’t care, value, or respect the people that you’re meeting enough to consider how precious their time is. In essence, “I don’t care about you, or your schedule; I’ll be there when I get there.” Rude. Disrespectful. Unacceptable.

Personally and professionally, punctuality is very important. If people can’t count on you to be consistently on time, why would they trust you to do anything else? Especially things that require meeting deadlines.

I’ll admit, I’m not always on time. I do make a conscious effort to at least try to be on time, though. In fact, just the other night I was running late to a party (which, due to the fluid nature of most parties, may be the exception to the on time rule). I’ve lost track of time and been late to church before, too. It happens. But what I do notice is that the things I’m late for, I normally, for that instance, haven’t put a particularly high value on.

Case in point: Sunday I was late for church. I woke up, worked on the computer, had breakfast, and cleaned up around the house (I actually listened to the previous service live online). Before I knew it, I looked down and realized that I was going to be late. I hadn’t showered, and clearly wasn’t ready to leave. What happened? I had placed (perhaps subconsciously) more importance on cleaning up the house, than on getting ready to go to church.

I’d be remiss if I just told you that being late is a horrendous habit and left it at that. Here are four things to consider in order to help you be more punctual.

1) Know what time it is. Seems simple right? Apparently, it’s not as easy as you think. When it matters, be conscious of the time and know when you have to be places. If you have to, set your clocks 5-10 minutes fast. I do this with the clock in my car. At first you may realize that it’s fast, and take that into account, but after a while you’ll likely forget.

2) Understand how long it really takes you to do things. If I have to drive to a meeting downtown, it may only take me 15 minutes to drive from “point A” to “point B,” but I must also find somewhere to park, get out and walk into the building, and it wouldn’t hurt to account for any traffic or red lights I might encounter. In other words, I can’t leave a 15 minute window; it must be more like 25-30 minutes.

3) Plan to be five minutes early. You’d be amazed at how quickly five minutes can just slip by. If you plan to be five (for some people, you may need ten) minutes early, you’ll be much more likely to make it right on time.

4) Think ahead. Obviously, things happen at the last minute, but thinking about your whole day in advance can make things run a lot smoother. Think about travel times, where you’ll park, and what traffic might be like. If it’s a daily routine, chances are that you already know different obstacles that might get in the way. Thinking about those things ahead of time will ensure that you’ll be better prepared.

Hopefully reading this blog hasn’t caused you to be late, but in the event that it has, you, at least, have a good explanation. Now, go be on time.

[Written by Stuart McDonald for Elev8.com. For more from Stuart, check out his personal blog, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on Facebook.]

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1 Make a ritual. The easiest way to not eat (or drink) is to get yourself into a pattern that doesn’t include eating or drinking. No matter what you decide to try, continue long enough that it becomes habit. Then, eating and drinking will feel like the wrong thing to do instead of the norm.

2 Stretch out. Stretching at night is beneficial in many ways. Stretching out those muscles that you’ve used all day long helps you both recover and sleep better. It will also help you not eat, since eating is usually the last thing you feel like doing while stretching.

3 Work. If you’ve eaten at night, why not use up those calories and get some work done before hitting the hay? You can challenge yourself in this way by adding an amount of time that you’ll work for each drink or hors d’oeuvre that you give in to.

4 Work out. This one requires that you learn about yourself because some people can’t sleep if they work out at night. I’m not like that, so I’ll often replace a night out with a night in the gym. Or, if I’ve eaten too much, I’ll use a light workout to help digest some of those calories before winding down for the evening.

5 Read. Better than TV in so many ways, reading not only engages your brain (which burns calories), it makes it hard for you to snack. Getting into a book makes time fly, and before you know it, that “late” dinner will have happened hours ago.

6 Learn to love herbal tea. Its zero calories are the perfect nighttime snack, especially “sleepy” teas, like chamomile. It usually takes a little effort to trick your brain to truly enjoy tea. But once you do, the positive effects of warmed herbs that will ease you into sleep mode can be addicting themselves and turn going to bed into a meditative and scrumptious affair.

And finally, a note about your TV. Let’s be honest. Most of us watch a lot of TV. The average American watches over 3 hours per day. And while it’s often the case, your television doesn’t have to derail your fitness goals. You can use this time to do other-beneficial-stuff, too. Stretching and TV go together like peanut butter and chocolate, with the opposite effect. And since none of us claims to enjoy commercials, making a point of doing something else during these timeouts (dishes, cleaning, laundry, sit-ups, or anything active) can turn a night in front of the boob tube into a productive and healthy evening.

For more from Latwanas Stephens check out her personal blog and follow her on twitter

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]]> http://elev8.com/better-living/health/latwanasstephens/late_night_snack/feed/ 0 http://elev8.com/better-living/elev8-staff/10-tips-for-being-the-best-you-can-be/ http://elev8.com/better-living/elev8-staff/10-tips-for-being-the-best-you-can-be/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:49:58 +0000 Elev8 http://elev8.com/?p=15171

From Anne Naylor at the HuffingtonPost.com:

What do Susan Boyle, Paul Potts and J K Rowling all have in common – apart from they happen to be British? Their success did not come about overnight, or easily. Not for any of them came instant fame, and recognition in the spotlight.

“The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished,
or the luster of it will never appear”
Daniel Defoe

No matter how frustrated, troubled or dispirited on the surface, deep down everyone I have met is truly extraordinary. However hidden, the human spirit, the diamond is always there; in you, in me.

For many of us, these times are rough. Perhaps now we can come to know and appreciate more fully our capacity for endurance and the brightness of our human spirit. What is more, we can take the polishing more into our own hands.

Here are some tips you might like to consider:

CLICK HERE for the tips.

From Therese Borchard at HuffingtonPost.com:

We’ve officially entered the hard months, the “dark ages” as the midshipmen at the Naval Academy say: the time of the year when the sun disappears and the pale complexions of your friends remind you that you had better take your vitamins or else you’ll have a cold to go with your pasty look.

I dread winter each year because many of my depression busters require sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s. What does a girl who kayaks and bikes for sanity do in the winter? Lots of things. Here are a few of them:

1. Watch the sugar.

I think our body gets the cue just before Thanksgiving that it will be hibernating for a few months, so it needs to ingest everything edible in sight. And I’m convinced the snow somehow communicates to the human brain the need to consume every kind of chocolate available in the house.

Depressives and addicts need to be especially careful with sweets because the addiction to sugar and white-flour products is very real and physiological, affecting the same biochemical systems in your body as other drugs like heroin. According to Kathleen DesMaisons, author of “Potatoes Not Prozac”: Your relationship to sweet things is operating on a cellular level. It is more powerful than you have realized….What you eat can have a huge effect on how you feel.”

2. Stock up on Omega-3’s.

During the winter I’m religious about stocking in my medicine cabinet a Noah’s Ark supply of Omega-3 capsules because leading physicians at Harvard Medical School confirmed the positive effects of this natural, anti-inflammatory molecule on emotional health. I treat my brain like royalty–hoping that it will be kind to me in return–so I fork over about $30 a month for the Mac Daddy of the Omega-3s, capsules that contain 70 percent EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid). One 500mg softgel capsule meets the doctor-formulated 7:1 EPA to DHA ratio, needed to elevate and stabilize mood.

3. Give back.

Ghandi once wrote that “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Positive psychologists like University of Pennsylvania’s Martin Seligman and Dan Baker, Ph.D., director of the Life Enhancement Program at Canyon Ranch, believe that a sense of purpose–committing oneself to a noble mission–and acts of altruism are strong antidotes to depression.

Click here for the remaining depression busters!

From theroot.com:

We all know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but what about Fat Tuesday? Nope, not the one heralding Mardi Gras. No, no. This is the Fat Tuesday that follows your holiday meal binge—you know, the one after all the turkey and pie and festive drinks, when you realize your pants are tight, the scale is ticking upward, and you’ve still got a few more weeks of celebrating left to do. If you’re like many Americans, the post-Thanksgiving reality check often rolls through Fat Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and right on through December. But there’s still time to get things under control.

If you’ve got a sexy party dress or new suit to squeeze into this holiday season—or an inauguration gown or tux to fit into in January—you need to find a way to push back from the table or buffet—right now—to avoid the holiday heft. It’s not so hard, really! With a little planning, you can still stay active and make good food choices without feeling like Scrooge. Here are a few pointers.

Click here for the pointers.

My child, never fear when you walk through fiery circumstances.  A wretched failure, a business loss, an unexplained illness– they will come like unwelcome flames in the night.  Don’t be terrified but look closely.  In the middle of that fiery furnace, you’ll see a familiar face.  I’ll walk through the flames with you.

*****

My child, I have chosen earthly vessels like you to hold My most valuable jewels because My light shines best in ordinary people.  Others, full of themselves or with the cares of this world, have stuffed their jars so full, there is no room left for Me.  Use my discretion wisely, My child.  Sacred things are not to be trampled, but preserved.  Share My treasures wisely.  Don’t hoard them, but give them to faithful disciples who appreciate the value.

*****

When I cannot utter the words, God, I know you are with me.  Your presence is a comfort to me even in my deepest pain.  Thank you for being that One who sticks so close that your breath is my breath.  Be my leaning post and hold me up so that I might be strong of mind and body.  Amen

*****

Eternal God, Your ways are not our ways and Your thoughts are not our thoughts.  We often forget this when we find ourselves caught between the rocks and hard places of life.  Thank you for showing me that there are no tight spaces where Your spirit cannot enter and no sore spots that your love cannot soothe.  In those times when what we face seems too difficult, assure us once again that you have a ram in the bush for every situation.

*****

My child, whenever you encounter an obstacle, remember, I have already provided a way around it or through it.  The next time you see a cloud on the horizon, don’t fear the storm.  Look closely, and you will see and feel My presence.