I have three thought-provoking questions. First, do you enjoy your trip to work in the morning?  Secondly, do you enjoy being there?  And thirdly, when you go home at night and you walk in your house and your significant other asks you this question, “How was your day, dear?” how do you answer it?  Do you answer that question positively? Do you answer that question so that your significant other knows that you had a great day at work?  This will be the key to knowing that the conversation that continues throughout your house that night is going to focus on your children, focus on your family, focus on your friends, and not focus on the dreary day you had in the office?  It’s very important that you can give a positive response.

As you look at these three questions, do you like your answers? These three questions cover your entire day.  Most of the choices you make during your day impact these answers.  I enjoyed my ride to work.  It was usually about 30 minutes long throughout my corporate career.  Now, it is 10 minutes.  The 30 minutes I took to make this journey on both ends of the day were times to think about what was coming in the morning and what occurred during the day. I was usually happy with the results.  Why?  Most of my interactions with my employees were positive.  This says a lot.  Think about the times you have had challenging conversations.  Was that inspiring for either one of you?  Hardly. 

Do you enjoy being at your job?  Unfortunately, most people say no.  You can have a business life where the answer is yes.  Again, it comes down to our relationships with people.  I have enjoyed my work almost every day for over 40 years. 

A positive answer to “How was your day, dear?” is one of the most valuable answers to experience.  It sets the tone for the rest of the night.  Even if the question is not asked, the look on your face can give the answer to the unasked question. 

Now that we have covered the entire day, enjoy your night’s sleep.  You get to experience it again on the other side of midnight.