What will your one thing be today?

Back when I was producing my sketch comedy TV show, Almost Live!, I had one cardinal rule that I followed, for each and every show, during the entire 15-year run. That rule was this:

For each show, there had to be at least one element that would make the audience think, at the end, “Now that was worth watching!”

The element could be anything: a great sketch; a surprise guest; even a single, fabulous joke. It didn’t matter. But there had to be at least one thing, on each and every show, that I could “hang the show around.”

I never shared this rule with my staff—it was just for me as the producer. Nor did I ever share what the “thing” was for any given show. And, of course, there were some shows—most of them, in fact—that ended up having more than one thing. But there always had to be at least one.

Now that I’m a professional speaker and entrepreneur I live by the same—albeit modified—rule:

For each day, there has to be at least one element that makes me think, at the end, “Now that was a worthwhile day!”

Maybe it’s a particularly good blog post, maybe it’s a great phone conversation that results in a speaking engagement, maybe it’s an idea for a new service that will both bring in extra revenue and improve the lives and businesses of others. It could be something big (a $100,000 consulting deal) or small (a truly great “catch up” call with a colleague); it doesn’t matter.

And, as with the show, on most days there ends up being more than one thing. But as long as there’s at least one, I can go to sleep thinking, “Now that was a worthwhile day!”

So—what will your one thing be today? Or, if your day is over, what was your one thing? Please share in the COMMENT box below. Maybe your “one thing” today can inspire someone else’s “one thing” tomorrow!