They say money isn’t everything, but if you don’t have it, it sure does feel like everything. The same concept applies to time. Yet, unlike everything else in this world we can’t reproduce time – we can only master how to best use it. Although it is free, many of us dispense and misuse the most important asset we have. Like it or not, how we spend our time is correlated to how organized, determined and willful we are. These constructs inevitably inform how successful we will be. So why are we so accepting of and exercise “CPT” a/k/a colored people’s time?
Where It Started
Believed to be coined in the early 1900’s by the African American community, “CPT” is an American stereotype that asserts that people of color are habitually and chronically late. While it is a stereotype, I believe it has become a wildly accepted cultural norm. Dr. Egli Colon, a professor and author states “punctuality has taken a back seat to egocentrism. CPT is a convenient excuse used when your personal agenda is more important the another’s most prized resource: time.” Dr. Colon goes on to say that a fierce change of habit needs to occur if one wants to advance and be competitive in one’s chosen career. While we are increasingly busier these days with competing priorities, we all can improve on when we show up – literally.
If you want to be better, check out some tips on how to be more punctual after the jump.