I find that when people ask you this question, a fair number of them don’t necessarily want to hear the truth so much as it’s just small talk until their limited exchange with you is finally over.

Case in point, earlier today after I’d already spent half an hour on the phone with customer service…

“And how’s your day going so far, Sir?”

“Honestly – not great, Pam … or your company would’ve processed this form TWO WEEKS AGO and I wouldn’t be spending my time right now talking to you!”

“Oh.”

I usually have to be in a pretty good mood to have any sort of tolerance whatsoever for small talk because otherwise it kind of seems like a pointless exchange to me if neither of us is really into it in any regard anyways. And needless to say, by the time I’ve spent over 30 minutes on the phone trying to fix something, I’m well past that point of having any of said tolerance! 👿

I used to have a boss who would give me a hard time whenever he’d ask, “How’s it going?” and I’d reply, “Not bad…” instead of something more positive. “So what’s it take for you to have a day that’s anything better than just not bad, Scott?!”

Well, Jim – since you asked – it takes you giving me a day off every once in a while so I don’t have to stand here having conversations like these with you in the first place!

Funny, I think he actually stopped asking me how I was doing altogether after that one… 😉