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Simple Standards And Why They Should Matter


For as long as I can remember, my friend Ed has always been late. In fact, Ed is so habitually late that he has his own time that I call "Ed Time". Even though Ed is late to EVERYTHING, I still like him and he's my friend. 

My buddy Dave is a super funny guy and is always on-time, but only when its convenient for him. Dave will either be on-time or so early that you'll never have to think twice about him being like Ed. But that's only if he shows up at all! 

Do you know anyone like Ed or Dave? Do you have a friend that is dependable, but not punctual, or maybe punctual, but not dependent? If you've answered yes to any of these questions, then I've got some great advice for you.

Simple Standards

No matter who you are, you have standards. Now, you might not have the same standards as your parents, siblings or the person sitting next to you on the subway, but you've got standards. There are many different standards, some simple and easy that each of us use everyday. To me, having a good routine is an important standard because it gives me structure to the day. When I'm in my routine, I feel organized and more efficient. I know that I'm less likely to be late or undependable when I'm in my routine.

Punctuality

We all know someone like my friend Ed, don't we? Both Ed and your friend are great people, but their major downfall is their awful punctuality. I've known Ed for a long time and over those years I've known he doesn't have much in the way of a routine. I'm sure Ed has SOME resemblance of a routine, but it is obviously not impacting him enough to eliminate the Ed Time moniker. 

Dependability 

But what about Dave? Remember him? Dave is never late. Ever! But, Dave simply cannot be counted on because he isn’t dependable. If I was in a jam and had to make one phone call to get a ride to the hospital, I would unfortunately be waiting a long time, because I would call Ed instead of Dave. I know Ed will show up and that he will be late, but at least Ed will show up! I would never be able to guess if Dave would actually show up.  

The Standards Today

If you take away anything from reading this, it should be that you know which of your friends is Ed or Dave. You never want to be in the situation where your life depends on it and you call the wrong friend. But in all seriousness, the takeaway here is that being punctual and dependable are two extremely important standards in our society. I couldn’t possibly see myself as Ed or Dave when I know how much it means to people to be on-time and responsible. It isn’t within in me to put people so far down that I’d completely blow them off. Who even does that? 

Whether you have a simple standard like treating people using the Golden Rule or a routine where you always back into a parking spot, be aware of your standards, because they impact everyone around you. You wouldn’t like it if I changed my hygiene standards, would you?  Let’s hope I’m punctual, dependable and clean the next time we are meeting or sitting next to each other on the bus.


Marques Thomey
August 21, 2019

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