Monday Morning vs. Friday Night

What was the reason you entered into your industry? Does your job require travel? I had the pleasure of interviewing a retired “road warrior” who had traveled the United States as an aluminum-siding entrepreneur. During his travels to many secondary cities, he started collecting hotel keys (with the permission of the establishments). These were the days when keys were made of metal, not plastic, and often contained elaborate decorations either inscribed or attached on the ring to showcase their destination.

This gentleman obtained more than 4,000 keys representing 30-plus years of salesmanship and travel. I first felt a tinge of sadness when seeing all of the keys and realized they were symbolic of thousands of nights away from home. He left every Monday morning and returned home every Friday night. When I mentioned my reaction to him, he said it was just the opposite. He loved what he did for a living and embraced the new experiences that every trip would bring — new cities, new food, new customers and new opportunities. Stephen was extremely successful, and this enabled him to provide exceptionally well for his wife and two daughters. This man was able to balance his life between work and home by spending quality time with his family upon his arrival home on Friday night. He was tired, but not too exhausted to connect with family. The rest of the weekend he would not need to “escape” from anything, as the anticipation of Monday morning was just as exciting to him as Friday night! Stephen, thank you for serving as an inspiration and as a reminder that many of us are so lucky to pursue our passion in our careers.

MPD: Find what you love to do so every day is an expression of life and not regret.