Are you always 10 minutes late for everything, no matter how hard you try to be on time? Do your friends tell you that things start half an hour earlier than they actually do so that you’ll actually show up when you’re supposed to? Do you start every social situation with the words “Sorry I’m late”? If this is you, then don’t worry. According to science, you’re looking at a long, successful life.
- You’re Type B, which is a good thing. There are two kinds of people, Type A (aka ambitious and tightly wound) and Type B (much more chill). If you’re always late then you’re Type B. You really don’t see your lateness as a big deal or even a problem at all. While it’s not great if your friends are always waiting for you and you never apologize or acknowledge that you’re wasting their time, it’s pretty awesome that you’re a fairly calm, cool person.
- You’re not one to sweat the small stuff. Since you don’t get stressed all that often (or maybe never), that’s going to help you health-wise later in life. Experts say that you’re less likely to have a heart problem since you don’t tend to stress out about anything. The next time that your best friend complains about your lateness, you can tell her that you’re not going to have a heart attack so it’s all good. She can’t really argue with that logic.
- You’re a positive person. Just because you’re late doesn’t mean that you think that you’re going to be late. According to experts like Diana Delonzer, who wrote the book Never Be Late Again, you’re a positive person and you believe that you’ll have time to do what you want to do before going where you have to go. Someone else would know that you don’t have time to fit in some errands before meeting a friend but to you, it’s possible, and you have a positive attitude.
- You just see time differently than other people. An associate psychology prof. at San Diego State University did a study on people who are Type A and Type B. When they were asked how much time they thought had gone by, the Type B people said 77 seconds, whereas the Type A people said it was 58 seconds. As a chronic late person, you’re definitely Type B, and you just don’t see time in the same way that other people do. You assume that you have more time than you do, which is why you show up somewhere at least a few minutes late, even if you’re grabbing drinks with a friend at a bar that is literally in your neighborhood.
- Your lateness has a direct link to your success. How does being late make you successful? Your enthusiastic attitude and positive outlook are said to make you super successful since you always believe that you can do anything. You’re kind of like your own motivational speaker. Cool, right?
- You have a passion for life. Being late also means that you have some really amazing qualities. You’re said to be in a good mood most of the time, are always up for an adventure, and are friendly. Sounds pretty good, right? You probably do feel bad about the fact that you always make people wait for you, so it’s a good idea to focus on the other good things about you. You might as well stay positive (since you’re already such a positive person).
- You can’t change your personality. The truth is that you might think that your lateness is no big deal or you might wish that you could change, but at the end of the day, this is who you are. You really can’t alter your personality. It’s pretty awesome that experts have realized that there are some positive aspects of being a chronic late person. So don’t beat yourself up. Maybe just show up five minutes late instead of ten next time.
