Carpe diem (Latin), literally, “Pluck the Day” or “Seize the Day” (English). It is interestingly, the motto of U.S. Army leaders. It means there is an opportunity to seize the day, to alter the future, to improve readiness, to make formations and weapons more lethal, and to regain battlefield superiority over any foe in any domain.
However, since we are not going to wage a battle today; nor do we work for the U.S. Army, we use carpe diem in the context of “The early bird gets the worm?” Meaning being first improves the chances of success. It emphasizes the importance of starting something early to maximize the potential outcome. It means being proactive. In a manner of speaking, do it now, don’t wait for tomorrow.
Some notable early birds who have become successful in the world of sports, are the following: Novak Djokovic, (4 years old, Serbian), Roger Federer (8 years old, Swiss), Rafael Nadal (3 years old, Spaniard), Andre Agassi (3 years old, American), Serena Williams (4 years old, American), Steffi Graff (13 years old, German) and finally, Tiger Woods (3 years old, American).
In the financial world, people who started rolling out of bed early are John D. Rockefeller, worked as an assistant bookkeeper at 16; he also started lending money with a small profit. Cornelius Vanderbilt was also 16 years old when he started his ferry business with $100, borrowed from his parents, as his capital. Bill Gates founded Microsoft when he was just 19 years old in 1985. Mark Zuckerberg was likewise just 19 when he launched Facebook in 2005.
They all have common denominator – started something early and continued their hard working passionately and relentlessly. They could have easily spent their time at parties and chasing romance and succumbing to the call of their hormones and libidos. But no, rather these people put priority on starting an early productive life. Clearly, in so doing created a definite advantage over those who were preoccupied with pleasure. It is likewise a sign of maturity and courage by taking on responsibilities at a tender age.
While we may not all be gifted visionaries as these brilliant billionaires, I have to say being early in the most ordinary way has many rewards. For instance, if you bought your first house early on, you would have gotten it before the interest went up, then you’d enjoy a bigger dividend later when you sell it. If you bought a car before the prices went up, then, you have a good feeling that you did the right thing.
Filipinos have gained a notoriety for being perennially late, as well as many people from tropical countries. The Polynesians and the Hawaiians are also guilty of not being punctual to their appointments. And feel no apology is needed for being late. It is not a big deal to them. The manana habit Filipinos have adopted, they proudly allude to having inherited from the colonization of Spaniard for 355 years. To justify it by saying: “Kasi namana naming sa mga Kastila ang manana habit.” Actually, the Spaniards are not habitually late, as we would like to believe. Like most Europeans, they are time conscious.
We often miss the point that being a tad early, if not being on time, is a hallmark of a responsible person who honors commitments. A job applicant for instance who comes in late for the appointment, does not make a good first impression. Quite the opposite, it could conceivably make a punctual applicant get the job instead. Many opportunities are missed because one came late for an appointment, to a meeting, to a discussion, to a conference.
Many, many procrastinators will have to admit that they have often missed the boat. In business as well as in the medical field, premium is placed on promptness. The truth is this really is just a matter of habit. Heard of being habitually late? It is a bit of a misunderstanding as some believe in being fashionably late. That one is so important that people will have to wait for his/her arrival. Some do not want to be early or on time because people might think one is too eager to attend the party or had not been invited elsewhere. So, it is amazing how sometimes people come late from an imagined prior engagement. Or leave a party early feigning another place to go to. Honestly, these are all mind games. Our concern seems to always be what will people say, what will people think. One thing for sure if you are late in Japan, Switzerland, Germany, France, and the USA, for instance, you have just ruined your reputation. At doctor’s offices, you can be fined for being as you say, “fashionably late.”
It is noteworthy to mention that most developed economies or developed countries are time sensitive. They honor time as their word of honor. Punctuality is a given. No one has to make up any excuses for being late because everybody works to make things happen early or on time. Notably, successful people as well are very time conscious. Conversely, developing countries are interestingly not very strict with time. Time is taken casually, like being on time happens more as an exception rather than the rule. It is very interesting that punctuality actually can equate to success!
Go figure!
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