Sitting in the Sweet Maple Café waiting for the Mary Kay Cosmetics sales rep it occurred to me that staying focused and recognizing the value of ones time is a critical component of success.

I had contacted Angel almost three weeks earlier, mailed her my promotional materials as requested and she responded by scheduling a 10:00 a.m. meeting at the Sweet Maple Café.

I had never heard of the café before, but was eager to find it so that we could discuss strategies for bringing my talk "See it, Believe it, Achieve it" to her sales team. "We meet once a month and I am always looking for motivational speakers to get the team pumped up," Angel said. "There will also be two other Mary Kay directors at the meeting. There's ample parking and it's easy to find."

My day had started early with a board meeting for Youth Communications where I was elected to the board and made chairperson for their 25th Anniversary Committee.

On the expressway, the exit came up so unexpectedly that I was unable to get into the right lane because the traffic was so intense. I got off at the next exit and turned around, but there was no exit for Morgan Street. I feared I would be late for the appointment and this distraction almost put me on the expressway to Indiana.

Insight

It occurred to me that not focusing on goals was akin to my current experience. Sometimes when you miss an opportunity or become distracted, it takes awhile for opportunity to present itself again or for you to rectify your mistake.

Sometimes it only takes a minute to miss out or lose something you have worked very hard to achieve. Take your eye off your goals or become distracted for one minute, and you will find it takes awhile to get back on track, much like my trying to get back to the Morgan Street exit.

I finally found my way back to the intersection where Angel had suggested we meet and as I pulled over to check the directions on my PDA, I looked up and found that the Sweet Maple Café was right across the street. In addition, there was ample parking and I was on time!

Sweet Maple Café

I entered the quaint homespun restaurant at exactly 10:00 a.m. It was a neighborhood type of eating establishment and the food looked like great home cooking.

At one table a family of seniors were enjoying a leisurely breakfast. A Chicago Police officer sat at a table in the center of the room having breakfast with a businessman. Soon four more Chicago Police officers arrived and sat down to have their breakfast. The quiet of the room amplified the bursts of voices coming from their walkie-talkies. Students from the university nearby and locals arrived in a steady stream, but not a single Mary Kay sales staff or director walked through the door.

I called Angel's cell phone for the second time to no avail. [I had already called her before heading to the Sweet Maple Café and she said she would be a little late but would meet me there as scheduled.] It appeared that she had shut off her cell phone. I called her home, but there was no answer. I left my cell phone number and a message. Still there was no response.

Time Management

After waiting for 45 minutes, I decided to use the time to write this story. Soon it was 11:05 a.m. and time for my next appointment. This businesswoman who had scheduled the meeting and chosen the location for it, had responded only two hours earlier that she would honor the commitment, but had still not arrived nor called.

Her voice mail message states "You've reached Angel, Future Mary Kay Director." Indeed, I wondered how this could happen if customers time was treated as lightly as mine was this day.

Conclusion

I wrote this story to remind you dear reader and myself that time is money and time management is critical to success. It is my way of making lemonade out of lemons. I had a choice this morning, to become angry and have this event spoil my entire day or use the time constructively to bring value from the experience.

The song California Dreaming was written when Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas complained about the weather during a gig the band had in the cold New York winter. The song transformed the band from promising to successful and became the anthem for the group.

Being left to wait in a café for an appointment that never materialized brought time management and focus to my day. It gave me this story to share with others who may have had the same kind of experience and to use in my public speaking engagement to remind myself and others not only how precious time and focus is, but how productivity can be gained even through a negative experience.

Angel the Mary Kay sales rep may not have met me at the Sweet Maple Café that day, but the writing muse certainly did.

AUTHOR INFORMATION. Yvonne Frances Brown is a Principal of JAD Communications International a motivation and coaching company.

JAD Communications International publishes and distributes encouragement aimed specifically at aspiring people of all ages. Coaching and enlightened discussion is the cornerstone of the endeavor, whereby JAD enables the ever-changing and enlightened mind of people of diversity, without regard to age, race, or background. To learn more about JAD Communications International and how it can help to coach and motivate your employees, your association, or your company, send an email to The Jamaican American Dreamer

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