Just One Day At A Time

How ya doin?

How YOU doin?

That’s the best I can do at a Joey Tribbiani impression in print.

Typically, the expected response is “I’m fine.”

Even if you’re not fine. Especially if you’re not fine.

My kids want to have a job they enjoy. Unfortunately, they don’t really understand what that means. They are super excited when they get their first job. (Or their second, or third, since the pattern repeats.) And for the first week or two, it’s great. And then, the reality starts to sink in.

Maybe it’s missing a game. Work takes a lot of time.

Maybe it’s having to go to work when they’re tired. Work takes effort.

Maybe it’s just no longer being excited. Work gets boring.

I’ve been married for over thirty years. My lovely wife is the most exciting woman I’ve ever met.

My lovely wife shortly after I met her around 1983

But, love isn’t being excited all the time. Marriage takes work. Excitement fades. Love is showing up every day. Love is having the good days and the bad days. The excitement and the dull day-to-day.

It’s the same with everything. Half the time, success is just showing up. I have boys who joined sports teams. One never misses a practice. He will say it’s because, “If you miss practice, you don’t play.” But, that doesn’t explain why he attends the voluntary practices. Or why he chooses to spend extra time in the weight room. He’s probably going to be starting cornerback on the Varsity for his high school next year. It’s a 6A team that was runner-up in the state tournament the last two years.

My other son shows up to track practice occasionally. He’s a talented runner. All through elementary and junior high he, along with his brother, was the fastest kid in school. He ran a couple Varsity races, but is mostly a JV runner.

It’s about showing up, even when you’re tired, or it’s boring, or it’s raining, or your friends are going out.

I like my job. At times I love my job. At times I don’t always like my job.

I like my life. At times I love my life. At times I don’t always like my life.

But, like sports, or business, even in life, half of success is just showing up. Somedays that’s the best you can do.

Just show up.

Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.

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