The other night I was tucking my daughter into bed and told her ‘Have a great day tomorrow’.  I wouldn’t see her until the next night.  I only have to go in the office two days a week, but those days I am gone from 6:00 am until 6:00 pm.  My daughter said back to me, ‘You have a great day too Mommy, but I know you won’t’.  ‘What do you mean by that?’ I asked. She said ‘You never have a good day at work’.  I realized she was right.  I never really do have a ‘good’ day.  My days are ‘okay’.  There are some good parts to my job. There are times when I have a real sense of accomplishment. I like most of the people I work with and enjoy the team dynamic. I work for a very large corporation and lead a team of 11 people who are spread out across the country.  I spend most of my day on the phone, responding to emails and putting out fires. To get real work accomplished I have to play the political game, cut through yards of red tape and constantly massage egos on a daily basis.   By the end of day I am drained, so when I get home and my family asks me how my day was, I always say ‘it was okay’, or ‘it was fine’ in a tired voice.  Never do I say ‘I had a great day’. I started thinking, what kind of message does this give my kids? When they think of work, they think ‘yuck’.   Is this what I want for my kids?  For them to grow up and go to a job that is just ‘okay’?   Is this what I want for my self?  The answer to both, of course, is no.   Right now, I cannot leave my job.  I need it to pay the bills and to provide for my family.  I have a pretty good job, especially in this economy.  I am thankful for this job.  If I inherited a million dollars tomorrow, would I quit?  Absolutely!  Since, I probably won’t have a million dollars drop into my lap anytime soon, I still need to work.  So, what are my other choices?  I can look for another job, which would most likely be very similar to what I do now. I can start a new career at a very reduce salary. Or I can stay at my job and just decide ‘I am going to have a Great Day!’  Nothing is perfect, things go wrong, people get upset.  But does that need to drag me down? No, I can choose to view things in what ever light I choose.  I have learned that sometimes what I perceive as a ‘bad thing’, turn out to be a ‘good thing’.   Everyday I just need to keep reminding myself that ‘events’ happen, they are not necessarily bad or good.  I just need to stay open, stay calm and stay happy.  It is my choice.  Next time I come home from work and my family asks me how my day was, I am going to say ‘Great!’.