Several weeks ago, I was leading employee communication meetings in our CGO terminal. After wrapping up the final one for the day, I was heading back to my car. I had to wait at the front entrance as it was pouring rain and dark. I was tired and wanted to get back to my hotel so it was frustrating to have to wait for the rain to stop. At that moment an employee walked by and I asked how he was doing, his response resonated with me. He said, “I made today better than yesterday. I’ll be doing the same tomorrow.” He then put a bag over his head and walked to his car.

I don’t know if there was anything specific he was referring to or just making a general comment. In reality, I suppose it could have meant a lot of things. He may have gotten all of his deliveries made, damage-free. He may have spoken some kind words to someone he ran into. He may have lent a hand to someone in need of help. All of these things could have made his day better than yesterday. To me, it seemed like he wore that saying as a badge of honor.

Hearing him say this, reminded me of a mantra I often try, but fail, to follow in my own life. It's “Win the day!” And, from my vantage point, this employee was winning the day. How could I, or you, take this employee's sense of dedication and perseverance and apply it to our own daily lives? First, I think it'd start with being intentional. I think it would mean having a detailed plan for the first few hours of every day and jotting down a few goals that you would like to accomplish that day. It would mean putting the list in a place where you'd be reminded of it.

I think doing something like this — jotting down just a few goals — would only take a few minutes and help dictate the balance of your day. Goals could be work related or they could be relational, financial, or about your health or wellness — anything to advance you a baby step further. I believe just being intentional could cause you to “win the day.” The trick is to keep advancing.

From a sales perspective, it’s making a call on that contact that's just not that friendly to you — the one where you find it easier to stay away. Or, perhaps, it’s making that extra call when it's late in the day.  Maybe it’s telling the operations team you appreciate what they're doing. It often seems the simplest things make the biggest impact. In fact, I often think the little things drive success.

Also, don’t be content on your “big win.” It’s awesome so celebrate it. Heck, we'll all celebrate it, but then look forward for the next one. Baseball great Babe Ruth once said, “Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.” That's so true in regard to many things…being kind today does not automatically make you nice tomorrow. Exercising today does not make you fit tomorrow. It’s not rocket science. Even this Florida State grad knows it’s all about effort and want. Legendary coach Pat Summit said, “Winning is fun, sure. But, winning is not the point. Not giving up is the point. Never letting up is the point.” That’s winning the day.

Does that mean that just being intentional will lead to consistent success? Nope. That’s just life.  Sometimes life is unfair. To that end, I will quote Bobby Bowden (Did I mention I was a FSU guy?) who said, “If someone mistreats you, treat 'em good. That kills 'em.”  He had a way with words. Or, even Inky Johnson who said, “If things happen that are out of your control, maybe someone is protecting you from something.” Not bad, huh?

We have a lot of great things happening at Saia. We're busy. Isn’t that great? We have expanded and will continue to grow into new markets, which will lead to more opportunities. We are continuously working to improve the quality in which we handle our customers' shipments . We have a new Canadian partner that is driving new business our way. And, so the list of goals continues…

Did you win today?