#SuccessTOTD

The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day — Henry Ward Beecher

It has been said that your attitude at the start of the day can have more effect on you than ten cups of coffee! If that is true, we have to challenge ourselves to begin our days with positive thoughts that prepare us for success. This series is about just that — — starting the day with the right thoughts.

I have been sharing the Success Thought of the Day now for about 17 years. The brief story behind it starts with my joining JPMorgan Chase back in January of 2000. During the interview process, I was invited to meet with people at various buildings, I believe 270 Park Avenue and 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza — — both of which are very well kept buildings, representative of the JPMorgan Chase brand. However, when I received my offer letter I was told to report to another building I had not visited. Upon arrival that morning I could not help but notice that aesthetically, things were very different. More important than the aesthetics outside the building, were how it felt inside — — without going into details, I would just say it did not feel welcoming.

To make a long story short, I found that the environment was not conducive to conversations amongst the new team that I was just provided the opportunity to lead and it really concerned me. During my 2-hour morning commute from Philadelphia to New York, I would read newspapers, books, and articles on the train, often finding something noteworthy that inspired me. On one particular morning, I decided to send a “quote”…