Punctuality means arriving or doing things at the appointed time, neither early nor late. Punctuality is the secret of success in life. The renowned and successful men in the world are known to be punctual. They knew the value of time and utilized it in the proper way in their life. Time, like tide, waits for none, nor can it be kept in store for future use. Therefore, in order to live a meaningful life, one must make the best use of time; and the only way to make the best use of it is to be punctual. According to each culture, there is often an understanding about what is considered an acceptable degree of punctuality.
Usually, a small amount of lateness is acceptable; this is commonly about ten or fifteen minutes in Western cultures, but this is not the case in such instances as doctor's appointments or school lessons. In some cultures, such as Japanese society, or in the military, there basically is no allowance. Some cultures have an unspoken understanding that actual deadlines are different from stated deadlines; for example, it may be understood in a particular culture that people will turn up an hour later than advertised.
In this case, since everyone understands that a 9 am meeting will actually start around 10 am, no one is inconvenienced when everyone turns up at 10 am. In cultures which value punctuality, being late is tantamount to showing disrespect for other's time and may be considered insulting. In such cases, punctuality may be enforced by social penalties, for example by excluding low-status latecomers from meetings entirely. The habit of punctuality should be acquired step by step. Youth is the time of one's life to acquire this valuable habit.
Once this good habit is acquired, it hardly goes away. It becomes a part and parcel of one's nature. A punctual person is cared and respected by all. The habit of punctuality adds much importance to one's personality. By using properly the tame in hand for the day's work, one is able to achieve his goal in life. If a student is conscious about the value of punctuality, he should complete his home work, and prepare his lessons in due time, and then only it will be easy for him to cope with the progress of his class lessons in the school.
He must get up early in the morning, take his meals in due time, and attend school punctually. For a businessman, punctuality is the soul of his business. Like a student, he is also required to move and act with the tide of time, by adjusting his programme of work with his lime in hand. He must keep his words, if he promises anything to anyone, quoting some particular time. Punctuality is the characteristic of being able to complete a required task or fulfill an obligation before or at a previously designated time. "Punctual" is often used synonymously with "on time".
It is a common misconception that punctual can also, when talking about grammar, mean "to be accurate". Otherwise, he loses the faith of his customers; and that discredit amounts to loss of his goodwill in the market. By not being punctual, he loses business. An unpunctual person is not considered worthy of anything in life. He cannot be trusted with a responsible job. Thus he proves himself to be a failure in life. Punctuality, therefore, plays a very important part in one's life. A person should try to be punctual from his very childhood, and appraise others about the value of time, which is the key to success.
