First and foremost, I wish all readers in the United States a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. To the rest of the world, I wish you a Happy Thursday. 

In my book, The Day Makes the Year (Makes a Life), I shared six principles that can transform your work and life. Well, that also means this holiday. Here are six principles to having a highly successful holiday: three today and three next week. 

1. Everything you want or need this holiday is created in The Day. Everything.  

Keep your team and yourself focused on the moment. One customer at a time. Don't worry about December's numbers in November. Don't fret about the upcoming weekend. If you make your day, you'll make your holiday. 

Into action: Ask yourself at the end of the day how well you and your team maximized The Day. 

2. Take responsibility for your results and happiness this holiday. It is your seasonal superpower for success (cape is optional).  

You can change what you don't own. I was recently asked on a podcast what that looks like. It means not blaming anything or anyone for your outcomes. It is understanding that we need to take action to change a situation we aren't happy with. Not enough traffic in a day? Make calls or determine what else you can do with your customers. Is someone in the family driving you up the wall? Decide how you will react. It's not easy to explain/blame outside forces, but the results are powerful when you do. 

Into action: Practice turning every issue/challenge into an action by asking, "What should I/we do next? Teach your employees the same thing. Own the day, and you'll own the holiday! 

3. Intentional actions create intentional results. Prioritize what matters most this holiday. 

In one of my daily holiday newsletters, I shared the story of a store manager I worked for who did a complete floor reset on one of the top 10 busiest days of the year. It cost the store so many sales and ultimately aggravated the staff. Don't get distracted from your priorities this holiday. You do that by setting daily intentional actions for your customer experience, desired results, and the joy you want this holiday. I often think of a bloodhound who has a narrow focus on tracking a scent. Nose down. Moving forward. No distractions. 

Into action: It is best to start the day with a few intentional actions written down for myself and the staff. Then, mid-day, see what adjustments might be needed.  

So let me ask three questions:  

1) Have you ever had a day move so slow that you were tempted to call a scientist to check if the Earth's rotation had slowed? 

2) Did you ever miss the mark on your intentions so spectacularly that you decided retroactively that 'achieving absolutely nothing' was your true goal all along? (That’s called “yesterday” for me.) 

3) Which actions above will you do for the next week?