It is imperative that professionals always maintain punctuality and a good work ethic. Integrity and honesty are the most important values for a person to have. By being on time for class and all other events, one demonstrates the principle of respect to others. If a student is absent, this represents a lose-lose situation. The student loses valuable information from the lecture, and the student’s absence can appear as a form of disrespect toward the instructor from the student. There is an analogy of life being similar to juggling balls. When attempting to juggle all the balls at once, there is a possibility of dropping one. The beauty of life is about not only learning to juggle the balls, but also, growing as a person and becoming one’s best version of oneself by learning from previous mistakes. The combination of three important life-long principles can come to the aid of those struggling to maintain balance.
Punctuality and Respect
Being on time and present greatly represents the character of a person. When people are on time for events, it shows a direct correlation to how important the event is to the person. A lot goes into coordinating a lecture and any type of presentation of information. The person responsible for presenting the presentation puts a large amount of energy and time into making sure that everything runs smoothly. The least that the people on the receptive end of the presentation can do is to be attentive and appreciative of the person’s, and/or people involved in the creation process, effort and time. Being mindful of the sacrifices others make will help in the process of maintaining punctuality of all events. Although mistakes happen, the best thing that can occur from making a mistake is to learn from it and try to never repeat it.
Missed Information equates Misinformation
In addition to having respect for people’s time, another reason why being present is vital to all aspects of life is that important information may be missed. When one is not present for a meeting, they miss everything that was said in the gathering. On the other side, the absent person also misses the opportunity to ask any questions they may have regarding the topic. This can lead to misinformation and confusion. Since the person missed the initial presentation, they will not have the chance to clarify any points that may later be equivocated. A simple solution might be to ask a friend who was present to pass along the information; however, this is not the best source of gathering information as it is proven that people do not retain one hundred percent of what is learned. It may be an inconvenience to ask the person who presented the information as they have already carved out a specific amount of time to do so in the presentation. As a show of respect, remember that people have lives outside of work, and by asking them at a later time, a boundary is broken.
Ethics: Integrity and Honesty
Equally important to maintaining punctuality and being present are integrity and honesty. Honesty and integrity are two examples of ethical principles. The difference between ethics and morals is that ethics represent a collective group of “morals” for unspoken rules that guide humanity, while morals, on the other hand, merely apply to an individual person. While it is okay for someone to have a different set of morals from another person, and it is okay to not agree on every aspect of each other’s morals, ethics come in to save the day. Having integrity can be defined as doing the right thing at all times, even when no one is watching. Integrity also speaks about a person’s character. Employers are constantly on the search for people who can be trusted. They will not hire someone who has a history of wrong-doing. While it is true that humans are imperfect and have limitations, the best strategy to maintain integrity is to own up to personal shortcomings. When one falls short, being accountable for the choices that led up to their mistake, can be one of the best forms of apology. People will respect a person that apologizes for their shortcomings and tries their best to change their decisions to better themselves. The guiding principle “honesty is the best policy,” will forever ring true.
Learn from Mistakes and Evolve
As previously mentioned, owning up to mistakes and not repeating them is the key to personal development. Instead of dwelling on what could have been done better, coming up with strategies to improve oneself can have a longer-lasting impact with more successful outcomes. A concept that has been hammered into the head of many nursing students worldwide is to assess and reassess. This applies to not only patients but life as well. First ask what led to this mistake, then, brainstorm and come up with a new plan to prevent it from happening again. After all, Albert Einstein deemed the definition of insanity to be “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Since the problem has been identified and a plan has been carefully crafted, the creative juices can now be transmuted into physical form. Now that the plan is well thought out, it is time to put these great ideas into action. After implementing the beautiful plan, figure out if it worked. Has the problem improved? If the answer is no, continue to self reflect, also known as a reassessment, and revise the action plan. If the answer to the previous question is yes, continue onto the evaluation phase. A challenge to this personal development journey is to apply these principles and new knowledge learned from mistakes to other areas in life.
Laws versus Principles
Now that the difference between ethics and morals have been clarified, the difference between a law and a principle will be explained. A law has limitations; they are temporary. A principle is universal and can be applied at any time. For example, slowing down to 25 miles per hour in a school zone is a law; however, the principle of this same example would be slowing down to 25 miles per hour when a child is seen near the street when not in a school zone. Maintaining high standards and using guiding principles to one’s avail can greatly influence the direction of one’s life towards a more fulfilling, happy life.
A Strong Work Ethic
Ethics and principles also apply to a person’s professional life. Having a strong work ethic uplifts the entire unit or company. One person can have a huge impact on the morale of the entire workplace. Whether this person’s work ethics influence the team in a positive or negative way is entirely up to the individual person. Energy can transfer from person to person. A negative attitude or laziness can rub off on others in the work environment. On the contrary, a positive attitude and willingness to work hard and be a team player can have the complete opposite effect. Arguably, the latter option is what should always be strived for. By showing up and working hard, others will eventually align to the same wavelength. Serving people with an uplifting spirit will encourage them to come back more frequently.
The Irony of Professionalism
Professionalism is a rare trait to find within the world of professionals. As ironic as it sounds, this statement rings true. This can be remedied by constantly practicing it. Similar to confidence, being professional is like a muscle that must be exercised in order to grow. It comes naturally to some but not all. Some qualities of professionals include but are not limited to: respectfulness, tactfulness, kindness, being motivated, considerate, patient, and a team player. Professionals handle difficult situations responsibly and with consideration for the parties involved. They are able to view situations from all angles. They identify problems and try to solve them as best as possible. Trying to achieve the best possible outcome is their primary goal. Once again, this will take self-reflection. In order to display a professional attitude, inner work must be done first. Once the inner work is done utilizing the aforementioned process, the real magic can happen.
What Happens When the Ball is Dropped?
All people make mistakes as it is part of human nature. Back to the ball analogy, what will happen if one of the many balls of life is dropped? The solution is simple and practical: pick it up and start over. Apologize to those who have been affected, make a personal promise to not repeat the mistake, and allow room for improvement. The Law of Conservation of Energy states “energy cannot be created nor destroyed;” therefore, the only plausible solution is to transmute the energy into a more desirable form. How can this shortcoming or “failure” be changed for the better? Life is about two things: perspective and growth. Instead of viewing the world from a small, negative viewpoint, view the world in neutral terms, and live life to the fullest. If the current situation is one that is unfavorable, try viewing the circumstance from a different perspective. Make changes to turn this “negative” into a positive. Be grateful for life; some people did not wake up today. On average, a quarter-million people die in their sleep each night. To put this into perspective two to three million people lose a loved one each night from sleep alone. Be kind to every person that is encountered throughout the day as it is impossible to know what someone is going through. This ties back into being respectful and ethical.
To reiterate, combining the great trinity of punctuality, ethics, and professionalism can lead to a life that is well rounded and balanced. This will make the world a better place because by being respectful and courteous of others; the infectious emotions will spread like wildfire. Keep in mind that energy is continuously recycled; thus, being respectful, ethical, and professional will go a long way, and blessings will be multiplied twenty-fold.
