Emotions are a key part of what makes us human. They’re what separate us from cold, soulless machines and they play a big role in making our lives fulfilling.

Yet we can’t let emotions affect the way we go about our days.

My customers shouldn’t need to worry about how my morning went. They should be able to expect me to show up, take care of business, and be reasonably pleasant doing it.

Same with any waitress I interact with. I don’t go to dinner expecting to hear about the difficult things going on in their lives. I come expecting to get a meal and have a nice experience.

That’s not to say that we should want to completely separate ourselves from emotions, or that we should expect that from others. We need to accept that both ourselves and everyone around us are affected by emotions.

But being able to take care of business despite whatever you’re feeling at the given moment is part of what being a professional is all about.

-Brandon